Affliction
by docrock06
Summary: What would happen if M had not died, and now wanted revenge on Tom Sawyer for making him lose all that he worked for? Will the League be able to help their friend in time? Tom Angst.Tom Centric.Tom Hurt. TomAllan fatherson relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is my first LXG story, as I usually write ER, as you will see if you go to my profile. You will also see that they are all Ray-centric, so I don't really see it as much of a surprise that this story is going to be Tom-centric! I hope that you like!**

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**Chapter 1**

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Tom Sawyer was running as fast as he could, his black trench coat billowing out behind him as the cold wind blew past him. The sound of his heavy black boots slamming off the cobble stoned streets thundered in the empty alleys as he chased his assailant down them, turning corners to try and catch up with the man who they had been hunting since that fateful day in Mongolia.

Memories of that day raced through Tom's mind as he ran. He remembered it as if it was just happening, the sound of M laughing before he jumped out the window and flew away on the strange, winged like, devices.

Tom had shot the man, making him fall to his death, the 'box of tricks' no more as they fell into the icy water. When Tom had turned around he had felt his heart breaking at the sight of his mentor, and father figure, lying there.

Tom blinked back tears as he ran; the reality of that day still so fresh in his mind. He had been relived when Henry had come and gotten Allan back to the ship quickly, patching the hunter up as best as he could. The next few days had been a waiting game, Tom never leaving Allan's side, prayers which he hadn't said in a long time being the only words that he spoke. They had obviously worked, because Allan had pulled through, his stubborn nature bringing him back from the brink, and into the life of the young man whom he had come to consider a son.

Of course, that was three months ago. Today they had gotten a very useful lead on the man whom they had begun to track down three weeks after the death of M, or James as some would call him. The man had been one of M's faithful followers, and was determined to finish the work which M had started. This of course had alarmed the League, all afraid if this man could possibly fulfil the mission which M had not.

So this was the reason why Tom was running down a cold street in England, the rain beginning to pelt down, and clouding his vision of the man in front of him. The League had split up to try and capture the man after he had attacked Allan, hitting him over the head and knocking him out for a couple of seconds. When he had come round, the rest of the League had suggested that they cover more ground and corner the man, to try and stop his escape.

And as Tom ran, he realised that he had no idea where the man, who had just seconds ago been in front of him, had gone. Slowing down and pulling one of his Colt pistols from the holster which where always on his lean body, a way Tom was certain he would always be prepared in case anything ever happened.

Cocking the gun in his hand, Tom Sawyer came to a halt, his eyes scanning the alley from under his blonde hair, pieces of his rebellious bangs in his eyes. Glancing around as he heard a noise, Tom raised his gun, his finger on the trigger and held it at the ready as he slowly advanced forward to where he had heard the sound.

Turning the corner, Tom was confused when he saw nothing but dirty paper flying across the alley in the wind, the rain making rivets in the puddles as the droplets of rain slowly made there way into the them.

Hearing a noise behind him, Tom made to turn, but was too late as something cracked against the back of his skull, instantly causing his world to turn to darkness, and sensing the Secret Service Agent to the ground in a heap, his gun falling from his grasp.

* * *

After an unsuccessful attempt to find the man, all of the League members where all standing back at the docks, where they had agreed to meet up, all but Thomas Sawyer. Pulling out his pocket watch, Henry turned to Skinner, or at least floating trench coat and hat, and said in a quiet voice,

'Don't you think it is about time that Tom was here, you don't think anything's happened do you?' He remarked, his voice sounding scared for his young friend.

Not bothering to answer, Skinner said to Allan,

'Allan, ya don't suppose that we should go and see what's takin' the kid so long, do ya?' He asked the hunter in his cockney accent.

Running a hand over his beard, Allan began to walk towards the alley which Tom had been down as he said,

'Yes, that's a good idea. Meet back here in ten minutes'

With that the hunter made his way down the alley, his aged eyes scanning for any signs of the young man. Turning a corner he was about to just walk on when something caught his eye. Walking over and picking up the weapon which he was sure was Tom's; Allan quickly turned and began to run back to the docks.

Seeing that the rest of the League where back, Allan ran to the group and came to a halt in the middle of them,

'Quickly, Toms been kidnapped!'

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**Not very long I know, but this is only the opening, and the rest of the chapter are longer, I promise! So please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I would just like to start by saying a big 'Thank You' to all of those who read and/or reviewed this story. I'm really glad that people seemed to like it, and I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint anybody. I would also like to thank some anonymous reviews, who I could not reply to, as I always like to answer all reviews!**

**HexGirl8604 – Well, here's the update that you really wanted!**

**Lyn – Glad that you liked it, and here's that 'more soon' **

**I also want to mention ****yaonne-san, Amberjunk, Skunk and Hedgehog and Sawyer Fan who also reviewed. **

**And now, to the story!**

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**Chapter 2**

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Tom Sawyer felt his mind rushing back to the state of consciousness, a dull throbbing making itself known in the back of his skull where he hand been hit with a weapon of some kind. Tom lifted his hand to probe at the area, to see if there was any blood, but discovered that he was unable. Opening his eyes and looking at his hand, Tom saw that around the wrist was placed a think manacle, with a chain that was bored into the wall. A similar manacle was tightened to his other hand.

Looking around the room under his blonde bangs, Tom saw that the room actually appeared to be in a warehouse of some description, the high ceilings and large buttons on the walls which operated different machines suggesting such a thing. The room smelt of dampness, a smell which if breathed in too deeply would cause one to gag. There was also a noticeable wind, chilling to the bone, flying across the room, and enveloping the young agent, causing him to shiver and add to his state of discomfort. It was also in a state of darkness except for the areas which were near the large windows, the light not turned on, and Tom didn't know if this was because it didn't work or for some other reason. Tom himself was still in a river of light, just, as it cut off a few meters to the left of him, leaving the room bathed in darkness again.

Tom wrapped his hands around the chains attached to the manacles and gave a tug, to see if they would free themselves from the ceiling, hoping that the building may be old enough to have a weakened structure so that he could get out of this place. However, he was disappointed when he saw that his trial gave nothing in return other than a few bits of plaster crumbling, but not enough to suggest any form of weakness in the large building.

Blowing out a breath of frustration, Tom quickly averted his gaze to the large door in the corner of the room, and was pushed open, the heavy hinges, creaking as they protested the movement, and two figures walked into the room. The first figure of the two appeared to be a tall man, of very large build, and the other was not much different, except that he was slightly shorter. Tom couldn't help but know that something seemed familiar about the two men, but couldn't quite figure out what it was.

The first of the two men walked further into the room; coming closer and closer to Tom until eventually they were standing just in front of him, but still in the shadow so that he could not see their identity.

'You just couldn't leave well enough alone could you, _Agent Sawyer' _the man said the last part with a tone of hate in his voice. Tom noticed that the man was English, his accent giving that away.

Tom simply swallowed, not knowing what to say, and hoping that maybe this kidnapper would reveal themselves, for all of the trying to figure it out was beginning to make this throbbing skull ache even more.

Stepping forward so that he was now in the light, Charles Williams walked straight up to Tom and punched him across the jaw, causing his head to snap to the side.

'You couldn't because you are just an interfering _child_!' Charles screamed into a dazed Tom's face, his hand gripping Tom around the jaw, his fingers squeezing on the delicate skin which he had just tainted.

'Now, now Charles, don't be so rough on the boy yet. We still have a lot of catching up to do' laughed the other man, and Tom felt his heart beginning to thunder in his chest. _It can't be!_

Walking over to stand beside Charles, M pulled the other mans hand away from Toms face, moving so that he could stand face to face with the younger man, looking down at him as if he were a mere insect that he had found under his shoe. Grabbing a handful of Toms hair at the back of his head, the young man giving out a weak cry at the pain lanced through his aching skull, M pushed his face so close to Tom that he were a mere hairs length away,

'That's right boy, your going to be screaming by the time I'm done with you. I lost everything because of you and that dried up old relic, and now I'm going to make sure that you pay' M hissed into Toms face, and released his hair before punching the young man across the cheek bone, causing the skin to split and a line of blood to appear and trickle down his handsome face.

Pulling his head up, Tom tasted the blood from his cheek run over his lips, and gagged at the taste, metallic and disgusting. Shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness and swaying that had formed over his vision, Tom stood up straight and looked M right in the eye as he said,

'You don't think that the League know that I'm gone. They'll get here and this time they'll make sure your dead!' Tom stated, hoping that what he was saying what true and not just wishful thinking on his behalf.

Spinning on his heel, M stalked over to Tom and placed a vice like grip of a hand around Toms throat, slamming the young agents head back into the wall, and receiving a cry from him. Leaning into Toms ear, M lifted his other hand and placed it on the side of Toms face as he whispered,

'I want them to come, and I want that hunter to hold another _'son' _in his arms, broken and weak, just like he is and just like you are going to be' Pulling back, M laughed at the look of anger, hatred and pain that were painted on the other man face. Turning his head to look at Charles, but his hands still around Toms throat, only not as tight, and on his face, M said,

'How about a little fun, eh?

* * *

Allan and the rest of the League where standing in the dining room; trying to decide what the best course of action in finding Tom was. Standing at the head of the table, Allan felt his heart swelling with worry for the young man whom he had grown to love as a son. He would never forgive himself if he let anything happen to Tom, and so he was going to do all in his will to get him back.

'Alright! We need to think were this madman could have went. Now we know that he hasn't left because Nemos men are at the docks and no report has come back, so where else do you suggest?' Allan said, wracking his brains with any ideas for where this man could have taken Tom.

A floating hand, glasses and coat made its way over to stand beside Allan, and Skinner said in his cockney accent,

'I say we search the big buildings, see if he took Tom er'

Allan scratched his aged fingers over his white beard before saying,

'Yes, but there are so many, it could take days. Nemo, can any of your men be of service to this mission?' Allan asked the wise captain.

Nemo nodded his head in response as he said 'Of course, as this is a very important mission we have. I will get on it right away' Nemo called one of his servants, and ordered them to go and round up a group of men to help the search.

'Well, Mr. Q, I could fly and see if I can see anything' Mina suggested, knowing that she could scope the skies and see if she noticed anything suspicious.

'That's a great idea, thank you Mrs. Harker' Allan said and then turned to Jekyll, knowing that he couldn't ask him to set Hyde loose, as the result could have terrible consequences if Mr., Hyde decided that he didn't want to help.

'I'll stay here and wait for word on anything' Henry suggested in a slightly nervous gesture, and received a grateful smile from Allan.

'Thank you Henry that would be greatly appreciated'

Turning to look at Skinner, or at least what was visible of Skinner, Allan said,

'You and I will take the automobile and see if we can see anything.'

And with that all of the members of the League went to help find their young friend, all of them having a similar feeling of worry in the pit of their heart.

* * *

'Ahhhh!' Tom Sawyer screamed as another slice was made across his chest, adding to the three that were already there.

'Do tell me if it hurts…so that I can continue' M said as he laughed in sadistic delight, enjoying the look of agony that crossed Toms face every time that he drew the blade into his flesh.

Panting heavily, Tom tightened his grip on the chains, certain that he was going to draw blood. His shirt was ripped open at the front and was exposing his chest and abdomen, both of which were covered with large gashes, the blood running down and getting absorbed by the fabric of his trousers, the rim no longer grey, but a hue of light red.

'Did you really think that I was going to let you get away with destroying _years _of hard work? A _brat_ like you!' M said before drawing the blade across his abdomen, and ripping another cry from his throat.

Feeling sweat beginning to bead along his brow, his blonde bangs beginning to stick to his forehead as he panted heavily against the pain. Tom watched through eyes that were half closed, his mind wanting to get away from the torture, as M walked over to a table in the middle of the room, and set the blade down beside various other 'weapons'.

No longer able to fight it, Tom felt his mind cloud and his eyes shut, and soon he was unaware of the pain in his body.

Turning to look at the form of the boy, M walked over to the boy who was slightly slumped down, his knees bending and his arms stretched high above him in what looked like a painful fashion.

Placing his hand under Toms jaw, tilting his head up slightly, M said to Charles, while looking at Tom,

'I going to enjoy breaking him'

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**Well I really hoped that you liked this chapter and please review and let me know your thoughts!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yet again, I would like to give a shout out to all of those who reviewed, as you they are all really appreciated and I love them so much…so keep em' coming!**

**I would like to thank mistX, yaonne-san, Skunk and Hedgehog, Dr Moehre and Sawyer Fan, whom I have all replied to! I would now like to reply to those people who don't have an account or weren't logged in, as I feel that I should always reply…so here they are!**

**Lyn – Glad that you liked the quick update!**

**Your Fan – So pleased that you 'loved' it…blush**

**HexGirl8604 – Is this soon enough? LOL**

**Well, on with the story!**

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**Chapter 3**

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Opening his eyes, Tom quickly closed them again as he saw mad colours dancing in front of his eyes, and took deep breaths to try and calm himself before opening his eyes once again. Glad that his vision was clearer, Tom glanced around the room, to find that he was the only one in it and was relieved by that fact. Wrapping his hands around the chains which where keeping him confined to that cold and damp room, Tom pulled himself up, but quickly felt his body protesting the movement, however slight it was, and he was soon back in the position he had been.

Shaking his bangs out of his eyes, Tom looked down at his chest and torso for the first time, and felt his stomach lurch at the sight of the gashes which covered them, the blood dried in and sticking to him.

Hearing the door opening, Tom was about to put his head back down and feign unconsciousness, but realised he was too late when he heard the voice of M booming across the room as he voice bounced off the walls.

'So, I see you're awake. Couldn't stay away from the fun, could you?' M cackled, and Tom couldn't stop himself from glaring over at the older man, even in his current state.

Walking over and stopping in front of the young agent, M shot his hand out and latched it around Toms throat, and spat into his face as he said,

'If I were you I would think very carefully about what way I looked at people…or your situation could get _very_ bad, _very_ fast' Releasing his grip, and throwing Toms head back against the wall, which eliciting a small groan from the young man, M made his way over to the table which he had earlier set the knife on, and picked up another instrument, which Tom couldn't quite see, but was fearfully aware that he would soon find out.

'You know, I think that I'm going to enjoy this' M said in a low, mysterious tone as he walked over to Tom, and looked down on him.

* * *

Mina Harker was flying above the city of London, her bats like a cloud around her as she tired to pick up Toms scent. As she flew on she couldn't understand why not, as she usually could pick up the scent of any of the members of the League no matter how far away they were. But now she couldn't and she was beginning to get very worried.

Driving along the streets of the empty city, Allan felt his worry creep as he saw no sign of his young friend. As they turned down street after street, he began to wonder what was happening to Tom at that moment, and if he was alright. The various scenarios that were running through his head were making him feel ill, and as he touched a hand to his temple Skinner said,

'Don't you worry Allan, Toms a brave boy. He'll be fine' and although Allan knew that he couldn't believe fully what Skinner was telling him, he gave the invisible passenger a smile none the less, glad that he was staying positive.

Turning his dark glasses to the road again, his eyes searching for any sign of Tom, Skinner had one thought on his mind, _I hope the lads alright._

Sitting in his office in the infirmary of the Nautilus, Henry Jekyll was flipping his pocket watch open and shut, waiting for any word from the rest of the team on Tom. He had grown to like Tom over the last mission, and would feel terrible if anything happened to him. He also knew that Allan considered Tom to be like a son to him, and knew that he couldn't watch the old hunter going through the pain of the loss of another life ended too soon.

* * *

Tom Sawyer was now sitting in a chair, not very comfortable at that, with his hands tided behind his back with a rough rope, and Tom was certain that he felt blood in his wrists, which were already bruised from the hard manacles. His legs where also tied to the chair to stop him from kicking out.

M had gotten Charles to come in and roughly move Tom Sawyer from standing to the chair, the young man not putting up much of a struggle after a hard hit to his chest, the gashes burning madly on impact.

Sitting in the chair, Tom tried to steady his breathing, his chest feeling as if it where on fire. He tried to watch what M was doing, but couldn't when he walked behind him.

Leaning forward so that he mouth was against Tom's ear, M whispered,

'Those hands are what cost me my work…and they're your work. So I'm going to make sure you suffer for what you done!'

Grabbing the pair of rusty pliers that were sitting on the table beside him, M grabbed Toms hand and pulled his fingers so that they were outstretched.

Tom screamed as he felt, and heard, the dull crack as M broke his finger. Before Tom even had time to register the shock of the first brake, he felt M do the same to his next fingers, until he had broke all of the fingers on his right hand, the blood pouring from the pores of the fingers.

Squeezing his eyes shut against the pain, and stopping the tears which he felt in his eye s from falling, Tom clenched his left hand into the fist, hoping to block out some of the pain.

Walking over and setting the bloodied tool on the table and wiping his hands on a cloth which was also on the table, M stood back in front of Tom, studying the pained form of the young agent, his head bowed and his breathing heavy.

'I hope that you aren't breaking yet, I want to have a bit more _fun_ with you first' M said as he put his hand to the side of Toms head in a mocking fatherly manner.

Lifting his head, and snapping it from under his captors' hand, Tom spat,

'You don't think the League'll find me! They found you once and they can do it again'

A huge laugh erupted from M's throat as he kneeled in front of Tom and placed a hand on his leg, knowing that Tom couldn't shake it off.

'Americans are always the optimistic type aren't they?' M said more to himself than Tom before continuing, 'But you see, I have a friend that knows some wonderful things…such as disguising spells. They won't be able to use their _abilities _to find you…until you're dead and the smell of your rotting corpse is so strong that the whole of London will know you're dead'

Squeezing Toms leg and then standing up, M made his way to the door and stopped just before opening it to say,

'Don't bleed too much…I want to watch to _die_' And with that he left Tom in the cold room on his own, tears in his eyes are he thought that he was going to die alone.

* * *

It was four hours after the League had spilt up to search for Tom, and now they were all back in the dining room, waiting to hear what each other had found.

'So, what have you got to report Ms Harker?' Allan asked as he watched the look of worry cross the vampires face.

'I flew across most of London…but could still not pick up his scent. I don't know why, and it troubles me' Mina said, admitting her true feelings about the mission at hand.

Rubbing his had across the back of his neck, and feeling the perspiration there at the thought that they couldn't and wouldn't find Tom making him heat with worry, Allan turned to Nemo and asked the same question.

'I too found that I could not locate our young friend. But I will keep men looking' and this show of concern received a small smile from the hunter, although the Captain could see that it was a forced one.

Nodding his head, but not saying a word to anyone, Allan left the room, leaving behind a group of concerned friends, all who knew how close Allan had grown to Tom.

'I hope we find the nipper soon…the old lad misses him' Skinner said before all in the room left to retreat to their own rooms.

Walking down the hall, Skinner was surprised to see that the door to Tom's room was slightly ajar, and walking over to it, his heart clenched at what he saw threw the slit in the door.

Allan was sitting on the bed of the young agent, holding his head in his hands.

'I'm not going to fail you son…I'll find you soon'

Skinner could just about make out what Allan was saying, and he knew then that they had to find Tom, and soon.

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**Well, I hope that you all like this chapter…even though our poor Tom got hurt again. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**First off, I want to say a big sorry for not updating in ages, but here it is chapter 4, and I hope that you all like it and please review.**

**I also want to give a shout-out to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: wicked-n-lazy, Skunk and Hedgehog, Sawyer Fan and yaonne-san.**

**I would also like to reply to those who anomalously reviewed:**

**HexGirl8604: Sorry that it wasn't soon, but please forgive me :) **

**Your fan: I'm flattered that you like the story so much!**

**Well, on with the story then!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

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Walking over to the young man who was confined to the chair, Charles walked behind Tom and used a knife to cut away the rope which was keeping him in place. Tom let out a hiss of pain when he felt the knife catch his skin, making small droplets of blood fall to the floor.

Without saying a word, or even showing any sign of acknowledging Toms show of pain, Charles walked back round to the front of the chair and cut the rope from Toms legs, and set the knife down on the floor. Standing back to his full height of six foot, three inches, Charles barked at Tom,

'Stay here…or else some _very bad_ things will happen. If you didn't like the feeling of your fingers breaking, think about your _neck_'

Not liking the sound of that, but smart enough not to refuse, Tom stood on shaky legs, his vision blurring and making him feel ill due to the blood loss. On reflex Tom went to left his right hand to cover his eyes, and let out a yell of pain and braced his right arm across his chest, holding it by the wrist with his left, uninjured, hand.

Tom watched through tear blurred vision as Charles walked over to the door and left, slamming it shut before locking it. Leaning against the wall and sliding down it, his arm still wrapped protectively across his chest, Tom bowed his head and felt the first tear fall from his eye, too scared and hurt to feel ashamed.

'_I hope that the League get here' _Tom thought, before letting the first sob wrack his body.

* * *

Sitting on Toms bed, Allan looked around the room and smiled at how clearly Tom the room was. The bed wasn't properly made, the covers just pulled up in a haste, the bedside table covered in all different things, ranging from a brush, which obviously wasn't used very often, Toms dishevelled locks proving that, and Toms Secret Service badge. The door to the small joining bathroom had shirts hooked to the back of it, and another pair of pants with the suspenders hanging on them, as useful there as they were on.

Allan smile soon faded, and his eyes welled with tears of worry for the man whom he had considered to be like a son to him. Standing up to leave and return to his own room to try and do some more research, Allan was startled when he felt himself collide with something that wasn't there, and instantly knew what, or rather who, it was.

'Skinner! What are you doing hanging around outside the boys room? Are you trying to scare me to death?' Allan said, more out of the fright of the situation than the fact that Skinner was there at all.

'Sorry mate. I just heard you talking is all, and thought that maybe you could use a bit o'company?' Skinner said, his invisible eyes scanning the old hunters face for any sign that would answer the question for him.

Scratching his grey beard with his aged fingers, Allan slowly answered,

'I guess some company would be nice. What do you say about a drink?'

Patting the old hunter on the back, Skinner said in a sing song voice,

'How did you guess?'

* * *

Tom lifted his head and swiped across his eyes with his left, uninjured hand, wiping away all of the moisture that was there. Pushing himself up off the ground, Tom made his way over to the wall which had a small window in it, if you could even call it that. It was too high up the wall for Tom to be able to look out of properly, so he pulled the chair over which he had previously been tied to, and stood on it, allowing him to get a brief idea of where he was.

Looking out the window, Tom could still see the docks, and that fact alone made his heart warm. If he was near the docks then that means that he was still near the League and there was still hope for him yet. Glancing around, Tom also noticed that surrounding the building he was currently a captive of, where about five other factory type looking buildings.

Hearing faint footsteps, no doubt M or Charles making their way back to the room, Tom quickly jumped down from the chair and placed it back in the area of the room where he had removed it from. He then went back to the wall and sat down, his right arm wrapped around his bruised and bloodied torso, and his left shielding his right.

Hearing the sound of a key turning in the lock, Tom shot his head up and watched the door under his blonde bangs, and when he saw M step through the door, and Tom felt his heart beginning to thunder in his chest and beads of sweat form along his brow.

* * *

Sitting in the library of the Nautilus, Allan and Skinner both had a glass of whiskey in one hand. Allan had since removed his coat, which was now flung over the back of the back of one of the unused chairs. Skinner had put his glasses on, knowing that Allan would want to see where Skinner is.

'Remember that time when me and Tom were out on the town doing some…research…and we met this fine set of legs. She was all over Tom and the poor kid had no idea what to do…the gal was old enough to be his mother, but she still wanted him!' Skinner laughed as he recalled the event, tears streaming down his face as he laughed, although Allan couldn't see them.

Drinking his own shot, Allan turned to Skinner and pointed an accusatory finger at him as he said,

'Yes, and who had to cart your lazy bum back to bed. This bloody old fool!'

Allan kept his face serious, but he soon was laughing, the banter between the two men making him forget his worries for a little while. Sobering up, Allan sat up straight in his chair and ran his hand across his beard, his eyes looking off into the distance as if he was watching the memory, his eyes clouded over with pain and sadness.

Skinner, noticing the sudden change in behaviour, reached an invisible hand over and gently placed it on the old hunters arm, and said in a sympathetic tone of voice,

'He'll be fine, he's a smart kid. We'll find him'

* * *

Tom watched as M walked over to the table which still had the bloody pliers on them, and with his back to Tom he said,

'I think that I was a little _easy_ on you. So I'm going to show you how it _really_ feels to feel _pain_'

Turning around, M made his way over to Tom, noticing the slight look of alarm and fear in the young mans eyes, and smiled at it. He was glad that he was finally being given his chance to punish this _child_ for all that he had done, and he intended to enjoy himself and make it a lengthy process.

Tom tried to steady his breathing, remembering everything which he had been taught in the American Secret Service, but falling short when his mind was screaming at him _but it wasn't actually you then! How can they tell you not to be afraid when it's never happened to them!_

M turned around and made his way over to Tom and grabbed his hair in his fist, yanking Tom up so that he was standing.

'You know, I never did care for Americans…and now I know why. If their anything like you!'

Tom glared at M, hating everything that he was saying to him and wishing that he could just punch him in his smug face. However, when M tugged at his hair even harder, Tom reasoned against such actions.

'Yeah, and I know why we hate the British, if there pompous, arrogant idiots like you' Tom said with a smirk as he watched the irritation that flashed across M's face.

Tom didn't see M as he reached his hand into the pocket of his long fur coat,

'And I have one way to sort out that mouth of yours…boy'

Pulling his hand back, M slipped the brass knuckles onto his left hand and smashed his fist across Toms mouth, a loud, dull crack sounding around the room at the impact and sending Tom to the floor, his left hand flying up to his jaw, which had blood pouring from it, the bone on the right side of his jaw cracked.

Gasping on the floor, Tom could hear M's words, although it was as if he was under water as his head was dizzy with the pain.

'This is far from over boy, and you remember that' M said before once again leaving, and locking the door behind him.

Tom lay on the floor, tears streaming down his face as he was unable to stop them. Rolling onto his back, his right arm across his chest, Tom felt his eyes rolling back, and just before the darkness consumed him, his last thoughts were,

'_Please hurry Allan'_

* * *

**AN Well, I hope that you liked this chapter…Poor Tom! And I want to acknowledge that I am not copying Clezs story with the knuckle dusters, but I couldn't think of another object that would do that and be small.**

**Please review and let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! I want to start by saying that I made an actual trailer for this story…and it is on youtube! I would love it if you could go and watch it and tell me what you think!**

**And thanks to everyone who has reviewed the last chapter: **yaonne-san, Sawyer Fan, Skunk and Hedgehog, Capitano, Dr Moehre, Vida Loca, wicked-n-lazy and HexGirl8604.

**Well, on with the story,**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

* * *

Tom was lying on his back, unconsciousness still holding him in its powerful grasp. He had been out cold for a little over three hours, his abused body not strong enough to bring him back, or maybe it was his mind telling his body that it didn't want to go back. Either way Tom was grateful, knowing that M wouldn't want to hurt him unless he was awake, it wasn't worth it if he couldn't hear Tom screaming or showing his pain in some sort of way.

Eyelids fluttered and Tom was looking up at the dark ceiling of the warehouse. Using his good hand to push himself off his back and into a sitting position against the wall, Tom let a groan out as his aching torso protested the movement, however small it was. Once he was leaning against the wall, his body using it to stay upright, Tom gingerly lifted his good hand, the other still pressed against his chest, his fingers and hand throbbing with pain, and lightly touched the side of his jaw where M had hit.

He instantly withdrew his hand, hissing through clenched teeth at the pain that was sent through his mouth. He wasn't sure if it was broken, but M had defiantly done some sort of damage if it felt like this. Leaning his head gently against the wall, the coolness of it soothing him in some way, numbing some of the ache in his skull, Tom closed his eyes and prayed that someone would get here soon. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, guessing at maybe nearly over a day, but he knew that it was too long.

* * *

Sitting in his room aboard the Nautilus, Allan was going over and over the pages of information which he had collected from the library on Charles Williams, and there was a lot of it. It had taken Allan three runs back and foreword to the Library, but he was going to get every book that even mentioned that man in it and read and read until he knew what the hell was going on.

Flipping through the pages, Allan scanned over the words that were printed on the pristine white pages, looking for key words which would help him. After looking through yet another book, a part of Allan's mind was beginning to think that maybe looking in books wasn't the way to go about this, maybe asking on the streets was. But who would he ask?

He was about to shut the current book that he was searching in when he saw something that caught his eye. It wasn't really the writing on the page that had caught the seasoned hunters' attention, making his eyes lock in on the page before him, but the image that was printed beside it in black and white for the world to see. It was a picture of M and Charles Williams. Both men where standing in what appeared to be a science lab, a table beside them that contained beakers and jars of various things.

Allan felt his pulse racing as he read the caption under the picture, claiming that the date of the picture had been taken two years before The League had been set up. Allan knew that this meant that M and Charles had been working together, which also meant…

Jumping from his seat Allan grabbed the book in his large hand and began to take thundering steps down to the dining room, where he knew all of the others where, as it was dinner time aboard the ship. Pushing open the decorative doors, causing them to swing open, a rather impressive entrance, Allan strode over to the table and slammed the book onto it.

As soon as the other members had heard the thundering footsteps, they had instantly known that Allan was coming, although his reasons for coming, as he had not are with them for any of the meals that day.

'What seems to be the problem Allan?' Questioned Captain Nemo from his seat at the head of the large table.

Allan pushed the book over to Nemo, his large finger punching at the page which he had just read.

'That's the problem!' Allan roared, his anger getting the better of him, 'That bastard had been working with M! Problem took him for revenge for killing his boss'

Allan turned and looked at the faces of the rest of the League, all the same, a picture of shock at what they had just been told. Skinner was the first to reply to what they had just discovered,

'Well, don't worry Allan, we'll get the kid' Skinner said it with a sad smile on his greased face, his words trying to comfort the obviously grief stricken hunter. He knew that Allan had taken a shine to the American the first time they had met, and their bond had only grew and grew, both thinking of each other as a father and son, willing to do anything to help the other one.

Skinner had been the one to secretly watch over Tom after Allan had taken ill, sitting at his bedside every night, praying and wishing that he would get better. He didn't think that he could watch another one of his friends go through such pain again, and he was going to do whatever it was he could in order to make sure that they didn't have to.

* * *

Back in the warehouse, Tom was still sitting with his back against the wall, afraid to move in case he jarred one of his injuries. He was already sick with the pain and he didn't really want to add to it.

Tom took a deep breath as he felt another wave of nausea wash over him like a tidal wave, and he squeezed his eyes closed as tight as he could get them. When it eventually passed, Tom opened his eyes again; small little black dots dancing in front of his line of sight after having them squeezed shut so tight.

His head turned to look at the direction of the door as he heard the sound of the key in it again, his stomach churning as he knew what was about to come next. _There going to come in here and bit the crap out of you and then leave again…just like before._ He was confused however when he saw that it was Charles who had came this time, on his own. Usually he had only come with M, or M had come alone. This fact not only confused Tom, but it also did nothing to help the worry that was eating away at his insides.

Tom let his eyes follow Charles as he walked across the room to stop in front of him, his smile resembling a Cheshire cat, and making Tom's skin crawl. _Why the hell is he smiling like that? _

In a flash, Charles reached down and grabbed Tom by the front of his open shirt, his hands holding bunches of material as he pulled Tom to his feet and slammed him back against the wall, earning a moan from Tom, who was trying to a great extent to conceal the amount of pain that he was in.

Charles was slightly taller than Tom, and so he was looking down onto the younger man. He smiled at the sight of the bruising and swelling on the side of his face, and the blood, cuts and bruises that littered his torso. But what made him smile even more was the sight of Toms hand, curled protectively against his chest in an attempt to prevent anymore harm from coming to it.

Letting one hand go, the other still holding onto Tom with a vice grip, Charles lifted his hand and ran it over the side of the American's face, his hand resting on Toms cheek. The look of disgust and discomfort made Charles laugh, _this boy really is too much fun! _Leaning in so that his mouth was at Tom's ear, Charles said in a low voice, his cool breath sending chills up Tom's spine,

'I enjoyed breaking your hand so much…but that was _nothing_ compared to what I have planned for you!'

Tom swallowed as he tried his best not to think of the implications of those words, knowing that this man was obviously not stable and would do anything. Knowing that it was best just to keep quiet, not to give away how he was feeling any more than he already had done by his gasps and groans of pain, Tom just stood there, his back pressed against the cool wall, the dampness soaking through his shirt and into his skin, causing him to shiver even more.

With his free hand, Charles grabbed a handful of Toms blonde hair, and shoved him roughly to the ground, and watched as the boy winced and gasped in pain, before walking over and sending his foot into Toms side, over and over again, a enthusiast laugh in his voice, cruel and vindictive as he said,

'Did you think that you would get away with what you done? Ruining our plans'

Stopping to catch his breath, bent over with his hands on his thighs, Charles watched as Tom pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms over his head, a futile attempt to block out the pain and damage that Charles was inflicting on his battered body.

As Tom lay on the floor, listening to the sound of his own laboured breathing, and Charles trying to catch his own breath, Tom wished that he would just pass out from the pain; or that the League would come through the doors right at that moment and rescue him. He knew that the latter was unlikely, but as he lay on the damp ground, his side throbbing, his eyes welled up with tears that wanted to spill out, to let him voice his agony. But he knew that he couldn't, he had to try and fight the pain, not to let Charles know how much he was really hurting him.

Charles walked over to the table and picked up a long dagger, his eyes on Tom the whole time. Taking a match out of his pocket and striking it on the table, Charles held it to the blade, watching it for a moment as it went from polished silver to an angry red. Walking over to Tom, the dagger still in his hand, Charles knelt down beside the boy and grabbed at his arm, pulling him to his feet for a moment before firing him back against the wall, into a heap, his cry of pain causing Charles to smile once more.

Walking over to Tom, Charles grabbed a hold of Toms jaw, hearing the pained moan that tried to escape Tom's throat as he squeezed on his injured side of his face. Lifting the heated dagger so that the pointed end was a mere millimetre away from Tom's eye, Charles watched at the small beads of sweat formed from the heat of the dagger.

'I'll teach you to interfere in other people's business child!' Charles sneered before quickly moving the dagger so that the blade was pressed against Tom's left shoulder, his scream of pain muffled by the fact that Charles still had an iron grip on his jaw.

Charles watched as Tom's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his eyelids closed before removing the dagger, gazing at the patch of blood his latest exertion had left. Standing up, Charles let Tom slump to his side on the floor, passed out due to the pain which Charles' brief, yet dire visit had burdened his body with.

Walking over to the table and setting the bloodied knife on it, Charles stole one last glance at Tom before leaving the room, happy with how his 'play time' with the young man had went.

* * *

All members of the League had gathered in the dining room, Allan deciding that they should do out and check the city again, in case they had missed something the first time. Standing with his long coat and hat on, Allan began,

'Well, we all know where we're going, and who we're going with. Just meet back here in three hours' Allan said it with authority, watching as the rest of the League as they disseminated, going their elected ways.

'So I guess it's you and me then mate' Skinner said as he looked at the hunter, his black coat and hat floating in the air.

Walking along the streets of London after parking the car, Allan and Skinner were letting their trained eyes search the streets, looking for any sign that Tom had been there. As they walked in silence Allan had to stop his mind from wandering back to all of the memories that he and Tom had shared. _Stop it you bloody fool! The lad isn't dead and you are going to find him and take care of him like he took care of you when you find him_

So caught up in his inner monologue, Allan didn't see Skinner making his way down a desolate alley, the only things in it were lose pages of newspapers and rats looking for a scrap of food. Skinner had sworn that this opening hadn't been here before, so when he has saw it he had just walked down the alley.

'Don't remember this being here, do you Allan?' Skinner asked, and upon receiving no reply, Skinner turned to see that Allan was about to walk on, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Skinner was no longer beside him.

'Allan!' Skinner called, and waited until the old hunter had come to stop beside him.

'What is it Skinner, did you find something?' Allan questioned with a hopeful tone to his voice.

Pointing to the opening, which was really a tall barbed wire like door in a hedge, which was in front of what appeared to be about half a dozen warehouses, Skinner said,

'Don't remember this being here, do you?'

Allan nodded his head in reply, knowing that they had passed this way before, but must have missed it.

'Ain't no harm in lookin', eh Allan' Skinner said before he made his way in, Allan following right behind him.

Once they were inside the huge grounds, which where covered in mass piles of dirt and dampness, obviously whatever these warehouses were once used for, was now gone, and these buildings were being left vacant, there only occupants the rats and the cold biting air that was whipping around Allan and Skinner as they walked.

Seeing someone from the corner of his eye, Allan grabbed Skinner and pulled him behind one of the buildings, and then stuck his head out so that he could see whoever this person was, curious as to why they would be in this apparent abandoned site.

'Hey, what did you-'Skinner was cut off by Allan's hand covering his mouth, not wanting the invisible man to draw any attention to them. His eyes never leaving the man he was watching, Allan said in a quiet voice,

'I saw someone you fool! Now be quiet for two minutes, better still, be quiet until I tell you to speak!'

Allan removed his hand from Skinners mouth, positive that the man wasn't going to talk, not after the telling to he had just received from the very angry hunter.

As the man neared closer, Allan had to stop himself from lunging at him and killing him with his bear hands…it was Charles Williams! He was casually walking towards the gate which Allan and Skinner had just entered, a smug smile on his face as he strolled along. Within no time he was out the gate, and Allan was making his way over to the building which he had just came out of, Skinner close behind.

'This way man…and keep an eye out for anyone else'

Reaching the front door, Allan pushed it open, hearing its hinges protesting the movement, and made his way inside, noticing that it was as cold in there as it had been outside. Looking around, he saw that there were only two corridors that he could go down, and grabbing Skinner by the arm, he whispered,

'You go that way and see if you can see anything…I'll go this way' He indicated with his finger which corridor he meant, and then the two men spilt up and made there way down the eerie halls, neither liking the atmosphere they felt. It was cold and evil…and something was telling Allan that Tom was here.

Nearing the end of the hall, Allan came to stop at a large door, and pressing his ear against it, he tried to hear if there were any sounds behind it that would tell him that Tom was in that room. However, the door was so thick, and the wind so loud, Allan was unable to hear anything.

Trying the handle, which was crusted with rust, its coppery texture transferring from the handle onto Allan's hand, he cursed, wondering how he was going to get the door opened.

'Bloody hell…Skinner' Allan said as he saw the thief making his way down the hall, a sorrowful look on his face, obviously his findings had ineffective. Coming to stand beside Allan, Skinner said,

'What is it mate, did you find somethin'?' Skinner looked hopeful, really wanting to believe that they had found Tom.

Pointing at the door in front of him, Allan said,

'I can't get this door open…cant you pick it or something?' Allan said impatiently, wanting Skinner to hurry up and open the door so that he could see if Tom was there.

Smiling, Skinner knelt beside the doors lock and pulled out a lock picking device from his pocket, and began to use it on the door. Soon a small 'click' was heard, and Skinner stepped back, allowing Allan to go to open the door.

Grabbing the handle again, Allan pushed it down and pushed the heavy door open, hearing the same sound of protest as the front door had made. The room was so dark that Allan could barely see a thing, but when his eyes adjusted to the change, he saw a figure lying on the ground on the other side of the room, and ran as fast as he could.

Nearing them, he saw that it was a pale and shivering Thomas Sawyer, his face and body covered in bruises and blood. Dropping to his knees beside his hurt comrade, Allan gently lifted the young mans upper body to him, wrapping his arms around him and resting his hand on the top of his head as he said,

'It's O.K son, I've got you now, you're safe' his voice was so choked with emotion, the fear that had gripped him when he had first seen Tom, although not completely gone it had lessened knowing that he was in fact still alive.

'Allan, is he O.K?' Skinner asked as he stood beside the two, watching as Allan cradled the youngest in his arms, as if he was the most precious thing in the world.

'I don't know…we have to get him back' and with that, Allan shrugged off his coat, and after wrapping it around a still shivering Tom, he scooped him up into his arms and began to make his way out of the room, his long legs moving as fast as he could, not wanting to hurt Tom anymore than he already appeared to be.

* * *

Soon they were back in the car, Allan sitting in the back with Tom cradled on his knee, still wrapped in the old hunters coat as he had his arms wrapped around him, trying to stop his shaking.

'Can you go any faster Skinner, the poor lads in a bad way' Allan said, but not in a harsh tone, more a worried one, wanting to get Tom back to the ship as soon as possible.

'Sure Allan' Skinner replied before pressing on the accelerator a little more, carrying the car through the streets and back to the Nautilus as fast as he could.

Gazing down at the abused face of the young man whom he had come to consider a son to him, Allan placed his hand on the cheek which wasn't lying against his chest, rubbing his thumb back and forwards as he said,

'It's O.K now son'

* * *

**Well, wasn't that a long chapter! And don't worry, this isn't the end, for we still have to get Tom better, and don't forget about Charles and M!**

**Please review and let me know what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, after many great reviews, I thought that I would treat you lovely people to a faster update…hint hint! And I want to thank all of the people who reviewed the last chapter, you were: yaonne-san, 16aqua, Captiano, wicked-n-lazy, Sawyer Fan, hexgirl8604 and last, but certainly not least, Skunk and Hedgehog.**

**All of your reviews were greatly appreciated, so please keep them coming. They tend to push me to update quicker…most of the time. So, enough with my ramblings, on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Allan was clutching Toms shaking body to him as the car pulled closer to the docks where the Nautilus was stationed. His heart was pounding in his chest, his back light with a slick sweat as horrifying thoughts ran through his head. _What if I didn't make it in time? What if I fail him like I failed Harry? Will he blame me for what has happened to him? _Allan was quickly pulled from these inner judgments on the situation as Skinner pulled the car to a stop, its body jolting forward slightly at the sudden breaking. In a hiss of a voice, Allan said,

'Skinner, you fool! Be more bloody careful man!' His face was still a picture of fury as he glared at Skinner through the lightly tinted windows of the car, watching as the invisible man rounded the car and pulled the door open for him so that he could get out.

As soon as Skinner had moved out of the way of the car, Allan moved so that his feet where touching the ground, and steadying himself, he pushed himself up and standing, still cradling the weakened body of the boy whom he had come to consider a son in his arms, and he began to make his way to the opening of the Nautilus, keen on getting him inside and to Henry as soon as he could, _even if I have to sprint with the boy in my arms I will! _

The rain had started pouring just a few feet before Allan had reached the door, and by the time he had gotten inside, he and Tom were both thoroughly wet. Allan didn't feel it though, all he felt was the adrenaline rushing through his veins and telling him to get Tom to Jekyll.

Running down the hall as fast as he could with the boy in his arms, Allan began to call for Jekyll, hoping that he was still aboard the ship. Even though he was supposed to be, Allan didn't know if he had gone out to help with the search.

'Jekyll! Jekyll! I need you here _**quick**_!' Allan voice boomed around the small corridors, causing some of the shipmates to come to doors of rooms which they were in, curious as to what all the commotion was about.

* * *

Jekyll, who had been standing in the library, hoping to read up more on some of the research which Allan had done, felt his heart stop at the sounds of the hunters' cries, his voice sounding urgent and troubled.

Dropping the book which he had been holding, Henry ran to the door, the tails of his coat flying out behind him as he yanked the door open and stepped into the hall, his eyes scanning for Allan.

_He has the brat with him! Not gonna be with him for long I bet, you'll never save him Henry__**, never!**_

Henry pushed the malevolence voice of Hyde to the back of his mind, only paying attention to one thing he had said, that Tom was with Allan and he was hurt. Turning his head, Henry say Allan at the end of the hall, a bundle in his arms, hugged against him, and he began to run, his polished shoes pounding against the slick floors as he sped along them, coming to stand by Allan.

'Where did you find him?' Henry asked as he jogged along the corridor with Allan, both making their way to the infirmary.

'In a warehouse, not far from here' Allan replied, and Henry could hear the sorrow in his voice, obviously blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault. As if he thought that he should have known where Tom was all along. Henry knew what it was like to blame yourself for something you didn't do. Every mindless, bloody act of violence that Edward Hyde would commit, Henry would blame himself, for it was him who made the formula, and that meant, to him at least, that it was him who created that monster.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Henry focused his mind the task at hand, Tom Sawyer. He watched as Allan reluctantly laid Tom on the bed in the infirmary, almost as if a part of him was unwillingly to break the bond with the young man, afraid that he would not be safe if he wasn't there to hold him and protect him.

As soon as Allan had laid him down, although he still had a hand resting on Toms head, not wanting to fully break contact with the man whom he had been searching for and found less than an hour ago, beaten and abused.

Henry pushed back the coat that was still covering Tom, since Allan had wrapped it so tightly around him, almost as if he had been trying to cocoon him in his warmth, and it was still that way now. Doing so, Henry unfastened the rest of the buttons of Toms shirt, which was a sickly shade of red, the fabric having eaten the blood, to reveal a burnt and bruised torso, which was covered in dry blood.

'I'll need to get some water to clean the blood away before I can assess the damage' Henry said as he looked at Allan, who simply nodded, his face gazing down at Sawyer, the gaze not even breaking when Henry had spoke.

After he had filled a bowl with some mildly warm water, having noticed Toms shaking form, Henry began to delicately wipe away the blood which was smeared all of his torso, showing what had happened to him. As he pressed slightly harder on areas where the blood which was caked was thicker, he watched as Tom winced, his eyes squeezing shut in pain. This made Henry feel even worse about the situation, one he wished that he would never have to go through again, only the last time the roles had been reversed.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Henry watched as Tom Sawyer stood at the head of the bed beside his mentor, Allan Quartermain, both of them having just got back from Mongolia. M had been killed and they should have been celebrating, but instead, Allan was lying on the bed, bleeding and hurt, and Tom was standing beside him, his hand resting on the bed near Allans, not touching it, but close enough to tell that he wanted to, but maybe didn't know if he could or not._

'_Is he gonna be al'ight Henry?' Tom Sawyer asked as he looked at the doctor with tears in his eyes, his voice choked with emotion._

_Looking down at the man on the bed, Henry tried to think what to say, the truth being that it was really just a waiting game, not knowing whether Allan would be strong enough to pull through._

_His head still down, nimble hands fixing and dressing the wound, Henry said in a quiet voice, _

'_I'm afraid that we'll just have to wait and see Tom. It's really up to Allan now'_

_Looking up, Henry felt his heart brake at the sight of anguish on the young mans face, a single tear making its way down one cheek as he looked at Allan. Looking down, Henry seen that Tom had grasped the old hunters hand in his own, the smaller, paler one grasping on to the larger tanned one as he said, _

'_Come on Allan, you heard, it's up to you now. So you have to beat this…I need you to'_

_The last part was said with such heartbreak that Henry felt tears well up in his own eyes. Pushing the thoughts aside, knowing that he had to save Allan, for Toms sake as well; Henry got back to work on fighting for Allan._

_Flashback_

* * *

After he had cleaned away all of the blood, Henry began to gently probe at Toms bruised ribs, knowing already that most of them had been cracked, the swelling and deep purple discoloration telling him this.

'It's O.K son, you're safe now' Allan soothed as he watched Tom wince and shift in pain, his hand stroking the slightly warm forehead of the young man lying on the bed.

'How is it?' Allan asked, looking at Henry for the first time since they had entered the infirmary.

Rubbing a hand over the back of is neck; Henry lifted his head to look at Allan as he said in a sympathetic tone,

'Well, most of his ribs have been cracked. And there are some burns on his stomach and chest'

Allan pulled in a shaky breath, his body suddenly feeling drained from all of the adrenaline. Noticing this, Henry walked over and pulled a seat up next to the bed, indicating for Allan to sit in it.

'You won't do him any good if you're in a bed too' Henry joked lightly, trying to lighten the mood in the room.

Sitting in the chair, Allan nodded his head in agreement. Picking up Toms hand in his own, Allan stared at the bruised and bloodied face, some of his hair matted to his head from blood and sweat.

Henry moved further up the bed to inspect the very ominous looking bruise on the side of Toms jaw. As he let his slim fingers lightly touch it, he heard Tom let out a low moan, the pain in his aching jaw shooting through his mouth and his head.

'I fear that it may be fractured' Henry said with a worried look on his face. He knew that there was nothing he could really do except for some pain medication, some strong medication, when Tom woke up.

Putting a hand to Toms forehead, seeing the slight sheen of sweat, Jekyll felt the slight heat that was radiating from him, and worried that he may have caught some sort of infection.

Seeing the slight look of apprehension of Henrys face, Allan said to him in a hard voice, showing that he meant business,

'What is it Henry?'

Wetting a facecloth and setting it on Toms brow, Henry simply answered,

'Just a bit of a temperature. But I'll get it down now and it should cause no problems for Tom', or at least Henry hoped that it wouldn't.

Allan was watching Toms face, and he stood from his seat, knocking it down to the floor when he saw his eyelids flutters, trying to open.

'That's it lad…open your eyes' Allan said in a gentle voice, earning a small smile from Henry, who was not used to see the hunter being this way, he was usually so rough and, well, hunter like in Henrys opinion.

Allan felt a huge grin brake out onto his face as he looked down at the face of Tom Sawyer, his green- gold eyes gazing back at him.

'Allan' Tom choked out, his voice dry and rough.

Resting his hand on the side of Toms face, his thumb rubbing back and forth over the smooth cheek, Allan replied, his voice choked too, only his with tears at seeing Tom again,

'Yes son, it's me'

* * *

**O.K, so it wasn't as long, but I hoped that you liked it! Nasty little cliffy there, but lots of nice reviews and I will update soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, after reading all of the lovely reviews that you left, and deciding that it was too cruel to leave you all hanging any longer, I have updated!**

**Hope that you like it, and please review and let me know what you think!**

**I would also like to thank all of those who reviewed the last chapter: ****XenophiliusFan, Capitano, wicked-n-lazy, Sawyer Fan, hexgirl8604, yaonne-san, Skunk and Hedgehog, 16aqua and MzPink.**

**I would also like to say a big thanks to 16aqua who recommended this story…that was very sweet!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

Tom gazed up at Allan through blurred vision, the pain in his face and body causing his eyes to water and his stomach to feel nauseous. He wondered where he was, and why Allan was here. Not that he really cared, he was just glad to see a familiar face, and it was better that it was the face of his father figure, the one man whom he looked up to most in the world.

Feeling Allan's thumb running over his cheek, Tom couldn't believe how safe he felt, knowing that as long as Allan was there, he would be fine.

'We were so worried about you son' Allan said in a choked voice as he cupped Toms cheek, and Tom didn't miss the second use of the word, 'son', which just added to the tears in his eyes. Unconsciously leaning his face into Allan's hand, adoring the feeling of warmth there, so unlike the cold room which he had been trapped in, Tom opened his mouth to speak, and completely forgetting about the blow that had been landed there. Although, with the multiple blows that were landed to his head, it was no wonder that his memory was a little fuzzy.

'Don't try and talk yet Tom.' Edward said as he laid a gentle hand upon the young mans shoulder when he saw him wince in pain from the movement which he had made.

'I'll get you some medication soon, but first I want to make sure the rest of you is fine'

Allan watched as Toms eyes fought to stay open, his body and mind telling him that it wanted to rest, to get better, but Tom wanting to stay awake, afraid that this was all a dream and when he did wake up he would be in that room again, cold and alone with no one to help him, only abuse him.

Running a hand through Tom's hair, and letting his hand settle on the top of his head, Allan leaned down to Tom, and said in a low, soft voice,

'Don't fight it lad, just rest and we'll still be here when you wake up'

Turning his head towards Allan, Tom said in a horse voice,

'Promise', his voice tinged with fear, Allan knowing that he was afraid it was all a dream. Kissing the top of Toms head in a fatherly fashion, Allan whispered,

'Promise'

Pulling back, Allan smiled at the sleeping face of Tom; Allan looked over at Jekyll and whispered,

'Poor lad, when I get a hold of Charles I'll throttle him' his voice came out like a cats hiss, low and threatening, and Edward knew that their was no point in arguing. Allan and Tom where like father and son, and so Allan was going to hurt the person who had hurt Tom. Edward would do the same if he wasn't too afraid of losing control over Hyde.

* * *

It was about an hour later and the rest of the League where returning, none of them knowing about Tom, and so feeling dejected that they had still not located their youngest member.

Walking down the hall to go and speak to Jekyll, Mina opened the door to the infirmary certain that was where the doctor would be. However, she never thought that she would see Tom Sawyer.

Rushing over to the bed, Mina gazed down at him, covered in a blanket, although the bruises on his face where still clearly visible against the pallor of his skin, showing some of the torture that he had endured.

Looking over at Allan, who was smiling back at her, Mina, said one word,

'Where?'

Allan ran his hand over his beard and blew out a deep breath before saying in a sad tone,

'In an old abandoned warehouse…not far from here' the last part was said with a sad tone in his voice, Mina knowing that he felt guilty for not saving him sooner.

Walking closer to the bed, Mina reached her hand out and stroked it down the cool cheek of Tom Sawyer, seeing his eyes move in REM sleep under the lids, not knowing if he was caught in nightmares from what had been done to him or not.

'Well, we have him back now, and that is all that matters, Allan' Mina said, wanting to make sure that Allan knew that he just had to focus on getting Tom healthy again, that the rest of the League could hunt down whoever had done this and bring justice to them.

* * *

Charles Williams was strolling down the street, a cocky smirk present on his face as he thought about the beaten body of the boy lying back in the warehouse, all thanks to him. He had left to go and get a drink, tired from his activities, and rather pleased with himself, and so he had decided that a drink was in order.

He had be inconspicuous when in the bar, knowing that M would not want anyone to be able to recognize him if the League got involved, although he was certain it wouldn't come to that, M had wanted to be sure, not wanting to risk anything like he had last time.

Walking down the street and to the opening of the fence which led to the old abandoned warehouse, Charles whistled as he strolled along, planning what he was going to do to Tom next. He had found it rather pitiful that Tom hadn't fought back, but enjoyable none the less.

As he walked down the hall, Charles knew that something wasn't right; a signal in his brain telling him that someone had been here. Running down the hall to the room which Tom was being held captive in, Charles stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the open door, and empty room.

'Shit', he cursed under his breath. He knew that The League must have been here, for Tom was in no condition to pick the lock or escape himself, not after the beating he had just received from Charles just before he had left.

Knowing that M was due back soon, Charles ran back out of the warehouse and into the streets of London, hoping to find Tom and bring him back. He knew that M would kill him if he knew that Charles had left to go and get a drink while The League where rescuing Tom. Running down the streets as the rain began to pour, Charles prayed that he would find the boy before M was back, which just so happened to be in two days.

* * *

'Ahh' Tom moaned quietly as he twisted in the bed, still asleep, and aggravated his aching ribs. Seeing this, Mina walked over to the bed, and placing a gentle hand on Toms arm, she bent down to his ear and; in a motherly way she soothed,

'Shhh, lie still Tom'. Brushing some hair off his forehead, Mina placed her cool hand against it, feeling the slight heat under it, just as Henry had before. Knowing that he could have picked up some sort of infection from the place he had been held captive, Mina walked into the adjoining room to the infirmary, and called Henry over with a gesture of her hand.

'He's still very warm to the touch. I'm afraid in case he has gotten some sort of infection', Mina whispered, making sure not to awaken Tom or Allan, who was asleep in the chair beside Toms bed, the young mans hand held loosely in his own.

Rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, Henry wordlessly walked over to the bed and placed a hand to Toms forehead, feeling the same heat as before, only he swore that Tom had gotten a lot warmer over the past few hours.

'I agree. And I fear that he is getting worse.' Henry said it with his brows furrowed, trying to think of a way to relieve Tom of the fever, and not cause his body any more suffering in the process. He knew that an ice bath would be the quickest way, but he didn't know if Tom was strong enough to handle it; so Henry decided to ask the one person who could decide.

Walking around the bed to Allan, Jekyll placed a hand on the hunters' bicep, feeling it tense up before his eyes shot open, wide with alarm.

'What is it, is it Tom?' Allan half shouted, fearing the worst.

'Yes, but I need your help' Henry whispered, hoping that Allan would do the same.

Standing up to his full height, Allan gave the doctor a worried look as he looked down at Tom, his hand still in his own, and said,

'What do you need me to do?'

Pulling Allan over to the side of the room, not wanting to disturb Tom any further with their talking, Henry said,

'I need to get his fever down and I need you to help me give him an ice bath'

Allan gave Henry an angry look before he hissed,

'Don't you think the poor lads been through enough without doing that to him?'

Looking over at the still form of Tom, Henry frowned at the sight of the bruised body, knowing that the treatment would be harsh, but probably the best one that they had to offer.

'I think that it's our only option Allan. Any longer and it could get worse; and then he wont be strong enough to fight it'

Rubbing an aged hand over his grey beard, Allan looked over his shoulder and at Tom, knowing that he couldn't live if he lost Tom. He had nearly lost him once and it had killed him. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

'Then I'll help' Allan said to Henry, his eyes showing fatherly affection for the young man lying in the bed.

Turning to Mina, who had been sitting by Tom the whole time, Henry called her over and said,

'Mina, I need you to go to Toms room and get some warm clothes for after…and some blankets too. We'll need to keep him warm after this to stop his body from going into shock, or catching pneumonia.'

Just as Mina was about to leave and go about the task which she had been set, Henry caught her by the arm and added,

'And when you leave them here we'll be fine', gesturing to himself and Allan.

Mina nodded, knowing that the less people where there, then the easier it would be on Tom. And anyone else who was around too, because if Allan thought that Tom was getting more hurt, he was sure to bite the head off anyone standing next to him.

'O.K, I'll go and run the bath and you get Tom' Henry said, walking into the room next to the infirmary and beginning to get the bath ready, hoping that this would work.

Waling over to the bed, Allan leaned down and placed his hand on Toms head, brushing some of the blonde locks from Toms face as he did so. Feeling the burn under his hand, Allan frowned; not fond of the sensation at all.

'Tom, you have to wake up' Allan whispered, his frown disappearing when he saw two green orbs staring back at him, slightly cloudy with fever.

'What is it?' Tom whispered his mouth too sore to move, and his throat dry and aching from not having anything to drink. Licking his lips, Tom tried to moisten them, only felt his tongue running over cracked lips, spilt in places from the punches he had taken.

Seeing this, Allan picked up the glass beside the bed, and placing a hand behind Toms head; he slowly lifted it and tilted the glass, allowing Tom to take small sips.

'Here, take this son' Allan said as he watched Tom swallow, slow and painful looking, and each gulp making his jaw wince in pain slightly.

'It's ready, you can bring him in now Allan' Henry called from the bathroom, waiting for Allan and Tom.

'What's ready?' Tom asked, wondering what Jekyll could be talking about, and what it would have to do with him.

'Just need to get your fever down Tom, don't worry' Allan said in a gentle tone, a small, comforting smile on his face as he looked down at Tom, who looked so young and vulnerable lying in the bed. The white sheets a stark contrast to the bruises and cuts on his body.

Stepping closer to the bed, Allan placed his arm behind Toms back and the other under his legs, and lifted him easily from the bed. Carrying Tom's slight frame in his arms, feeling Toms hand unconsciously grab his shoulder when he held his aching ribs too tight, Allan carried him into the bathroom, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

Shaking the cold water off his hands after testing it, Henry looked up when he heard the sound of Allan's boots on the tiled floor as he entered, and saw him cradling the pale and abused Tom Sawyer.

'O.K, lets get on with it' Allan said as he walked over to the side of the tub and gently lowered Tom in, feeling Toms slim fingers squeeze his shoulder in reaction to the cold water on his aching torso, his ribs aching and the cuts and gashes feeling like they were on fire.

Sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, Henry watched Tom carefully, making sure that he was not going to fall unconscious or anything else that could harm the agent in any way. He averted his eyes to Allan, whom was sitting on the edge on the tub, one hand still hooked around Tom's shoulders, supporting the spy and helping to keep him from falling under the water, the other resting on the top of his head and stroking his hair in a comforting and fatherly fashion.

'Not too much longer Tom' Henry said as he looked at his watch, estimating that about five to seven minutes in the bath would be enough time to bring Toms temperature down considerably, and not cause his body any more distress.

'Great' Tom said through chattering teeth, his entire body shaking due to the fact that he was nearly fully submerged in freezing water. He couldn't wait until he could be back in the warm blankets of his bed, pulled up to his chin and keeping his body warm. Until then he just had to endure a few more minutes and then his dream, however small, would be a reality.

Soon the time was up, and Allan stood up, stretching his limbs, before bending down and picking Tom up and out of the bath, feeling the cool water from Tom seep into his own clothes and body as he held him tight, his shivering body trying to absorb heat from the older man.

'God, that was cold!' Allan remarked as he felt a cold shiver run up his back like an icy hand, giving him a taste of what Tom had just been sitting in for the past seven minutes.

'I know' Tom replied sleepily, his head resting on Allan's shoulder as he felt his body willing him to sleep, the time in the bath being the longest he had spent awake since he had gotten back to the Nautilus.

'We'll get you all nice and toasty in no time lad' Allan said as he carried Tom back into the bed and lay him on the bed, shivering once again as the cool air hit the front of his wet shirt and caused him to feel the frostiness of the water once again.

Stepping round to the other side of the bed, Henry began to unbutton Tom's shirt, knowing that it would be pointless to bring his fever down if they were going to let him lie in cold, damp clothes and catch hypothermia!

Soon Tom was undressed, dried off and dressed again in warm clothes. He was not back in his normal black trousers and a white shirt. He was instead wearing a pair of sweat like trousers which had been bought a while ago by most members of the League on a trip around London, a stall on the street selling them. He was also wearing a large t-shirt and a jumper. That plus a pair of thick socks, and Tom felt 'toasty warm', just as Allan had said he would.

Getting ready to go back to sleep, his body begging him, Tom felt Allan's hand on his shoulder, ceasing him from doing so. Opening his sleepy eyes both misted with exhaustion and pain, Tom gazed up at Allan.

'You're not staying here lad, far to cold. We'll take you back to your own room'

Reaching down in the same way which he had done many times that night, Allan lifted Tom up into his arms, feeling the agents body mould against his as he tried to stay awake, his head resting on the hunters shoulder, and one arm over Allan's shoulder while the other lay across his own stomach.

'I'll be down to check on him in a while' Henry said as he opened the door for Allan, a small smile on his face as he peered at the sleeping face of Tom, his eyes closed and his head snuggled against Allan's shoulder, his fight to stay awake lost.

Walking down the hall, Allan looked down at Tom, his hair lying across his brow and covering some of his eyes. He looked even younger in his sleep, Allan thought and this only sickened him more when he thought about what Charles had done.

He walked on, and came across his won room first. Knowing that he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight anyway, and seeing no reason on walking any further if he didn't have to, Allan pushed the door open with his foot, it not haven been locked, and made his way in.

A small lamp which had been left on from when Allan had been reading over the articles on Charles had been left on, and cast a dull glow around the room. Walking over to the bed, Allan set Tom gently on it, and covered him up with the thick blanket, pulling it right up to his chin.

Touching a hand to his own wet shirt, Allan grabbed a clean, dry one from the back of his door before shutting it and changing into the dry shirt. Walking over to the bed, Allan sat down on the side of it, finding it more comfortable than the hospital style bed which was in the infirmary.

Reaching a hand out to touch Tom's cheek, he felt the cool skin there, not like the heat which had been emitted from it before. Brushing some hair back from Toms eyes, Allan felt a sense of fatherly love well in his heart at the sight of the boy whom he considered to be a son to him, lying hurt in a bed, completely dependent on him.

Feeling his own eyes closing, Allan lay down on the other side of the large bed, careful not to lie too close in case he hurt Tom. It was this way that Henry found the two later on when he came to check on Tom. Covering Allan up before he left, Henry smiled at the thought that Tom had some many people caring and looking out for him, knowing that if something happened to him, the League would do the same.

* * *

Waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of a small whimpering, Allan turned his head to look at Tom, finding him still sleeping. However, in the course of the night, he had moved himself so that he was now facing Allan, and curled up on his side, his knees pulled up to his chest as if he was trying to hide away or disappear. His thin hand was lying close to Allan's, almost as if he had been trying to get some sort of comfort from him. Looking closer, he saw that Tom's lips moved and the same whimpering noise came from his mouth, small and feared, caught in some sort nightmare.

Pushing himself up onto his hands, Allan reached over and touched Tom on the shoulder, hoping that this would wake him. Allan was shocked however when Tom tensed under his hand and let out a small cry of, '_Don't_'. Although it was whispered, Allan could hear the fear clearly in his voice, and felt his heart break when he saw a single tear making its way from under a closed lid.

Shaking Tom lightly, careful not to hurt him, Allan was shocked when he saw Toms eyes open before he jumped up and into Allan's arms, burying his head in his shoulder as the hunter wrapped his arms around him, rubbing his hand gently up and down the clearly distressed Toms back.

Feeling Tom shake with the force of his tears, Allan laid one hand on the back of his head, his fingers tangling in the blonde hair as he soothed,

'It's O.K, it was only a dream, you're O.K now son'

Rocking Tom back and forth, Allan soothed Tom until he felt his shaking stop, and then he pulled away from him slightly, his arms still wrapped around Tom as he said in a gentle voice,

'Now what's the matter?' he was curious as to if it was just a normal nightmare, or if it had anything to do with Charles Williams. He prayed it was just the former and that Tom was maybe just a little shaken and had been scared more easily than he would normally have been.

Tom kept his gazed focused on the bed, not wanting to look at Allan after he had just thrown himself into his arms like a child afraid of the bogeyman under his bed.

Seeing this, Allan lifted one hand from Toms shoulder and cupped his cheek, his thumb running back and forth and wiping away any moisture. Moving his hand, his placed it gently under Tom's chin, careful not to touch his injured jaw, and lifted his face to look at him.

'It's better if you talk Tom' Allan said in a soft voice, hoping that Tom would open up to him.

Looking up at Allan, Tom knew that he had to answer him, his huge brown eyes looking at him with so much love and caring that Tom would feel bad if he didn't. Looking Allan directly in the eyes, Tom said in a quiet voice,

'It was about M…and back in the warehouse'

Wondering why Tom had said M and not Charles, Allan stoked Toms hair back, thinking that he had just gotten a bit confused, his dreams making him think things had happened which hadn't. _I mean M's dead, isn't he?_

'M died Tom, you shot him, remember. It was just a bad dream'

Allan pulled Tom close to him and hugged his protégé, feeling Tom's slight frame against his as he laid his head on Toms, feeling all of his muscles relax after the initial panic of when he had first woken.

If he ear hadn't been so close to Tom, he probably wouldn't have heard what Tom said next, and even after hearing it, he wasn't sure that he believed it.

'No Allan, M was there. He said it was _because_ I shot him that he was doing it'

Allan felt his eyes widen in shock as he registered what he had just been told.

This case of revenge had just gotten a lot more complicated.

* * *

**Well, I hope that you liked the update! Please review and let me know what you think!**

**A/N I looked up about sweats and T-shirts, and the dates for first production where early 1900's, so Tom could have had them. Plus they were the only clothes I could think of…so please let that one little detail slip this time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey all! Well, here's the next update and I hope that you all like it, Please leave a review and let me know what you think. And thanks for all those who read and reviewed the last chapter:**

**Sawyer Fan, 16aqua, yaonne-san, hexgirl8604, Capitano, wicked-n-lazy, Skunk and Hedgehog and XenophiliusFan.**

**And as promised, there will be a lot more Skinner in this chapter! Also morphine was discovered by a German Scientist in 1874, so it will fit in with the time line of this story.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

Allan pulled back from Tom and looked the younger man in the eyes. His arms where still around Tom, the young man still pulled close to him as Allan said in a gentle voice,

'What do you mean, M is still alive?' Allan questioned, hoping that it wasn't true.

Lifting his hand up to his face and drying away his tears with the back of his hand, even though he was sure more would come, Tom replied in a low, choked voice,

'Yes…he said he was doing it because I destroyed all of his work…back in Mongolia'

Allan felt his anger growing as Tom verified that what he had said was true, that it had been M who had done this to him. Pulling Tom back to him and resting his head on top of the younger mans as he wrapped his arms around him, Allan kept his anger hidden as he stroked the back of Toms head, trying to comfort the young man after his nightmare.

'Well it's O.K now son, you're safe here with me and the rest of the League…you're family will look out for you'

Tom felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes as Allan said this, the thought that he had a family who would do anything for him comforting him just as much as the physical affection that any of them had shown him.

Allan's hand was on the side of Tom's cheek, and he felt the small salty tear as he slipped from under Toms closed lid, his other cheek pressed against the hunter's chest, the warmth from him making Tom feel sleepy, and his body still needing to rest and recover.

'What's the matter lad?' Allan asked, his voice low as his face was still pressed against the top of Toms head.

Tom didn't answer, but Allan felt him shake his head, saying that it was nothing, and knowing that he was probably exhausted and wasn't in the mood for talking about what had happened right at that moment, Allan decided to leave it until Tom had gotten his strength back.

'O.K Tom. You need to rest now though, you've been through a lot'

Pulling back from Tom, and instantly feeling the urge to wrap his arms around him straight away, to protect him from everything, Allan got off the bed and moved to the side which Tom was on, and pushing him down gently by the shoulders, he said in a quiet voice,

'I just have to go and talk to the good doctor. I'll be back in a while, but you get some sleep'

Tom closed his eyes and gave a sleep nod of agreement as Allan pulled the blanket around him and switched off the lamp before he left the room. It wasn't five minutes later and Tom was asleep again, only this time he wasn't haunted by nightmares, too tired to even dream.

Allan stepped outside the door and shut it gently, careful not to wake the sleeping form of Sawyer. Walking down the hall he was angered with the news which he had just heard, and he didn't know how he was going to tell the League or what he was going to do about M and Charles, as the other man most defiantly also had a part to play in this.

Walking past the library Allan heard the distinct sound of glass clanging together and was certain that Skinner was in there. The man had been a good friend to him since the moment Tom had went missing, and he had also been the one who had actually played a crucial part in locating Tom again. If anyone should be the fist to know, Allan thought that it was Skinner.

'Evening Skinner' Allan said as he walked into the room, making his presence known to the floating hat and trench coat which was helping itself to a large Brandy on the rocks.

Turning his painted face to look at the hunter, Skinner handed his glass to Allan and then filled himself another as he said,

'Well more like the night old lad' Skinner joked as he nodded his head in the direction of the clock, which showed that it was actually nearing one in the morning. Picking up his glass and walking over to the large chairs in the room, Allan following him, Skinner sat down and took a drink of his Brandy before he said,

'So how's Tom?' he voice had taken on a more serious tone, so unlike the normal joking and jibing one which was associated with the thief.

Taking a long drink from his own glass, Allan sighed and then answered Skinner, saying,

'The lads a mess, shook up and still in a lot of pain' sighing Allan then continued, 'and he also told me how it wasn't only Charles who did this to him…it was M too'

Skinner nearly choked on his drink when Allan had said that, not expecting it. Wiping the dribble from his chin, some of the paint disappearing and leaving a see-through area on the thief's face, something which looked quite peculiar, Skinner said,

'What! But I thought that Tom killed 'em dead'

Finishing off his drink, the Brandy making a warm sensation in his throat and stomach as it made its way down, Allan set down his glass on the table beside him as he said,

'Apparently he didn't…and now we have a lot more trouble on our hands than we first thought'

Standing from his seat, Allan turned to Skinner and said,

'I have to go and speak to Jekyll, but I just thought that you should be the first to know…since you were a big help in saving the lads life. If it hadn't been for you, well I don't want to think what may have happened'

Standing up to face the Hunter, Skinner said in his cockney accent,

'Thanks Allan. Can I go and see the kid…kinda been wanting to see that he's fine with ma own two eyes' Skinner said the last part with an embarrassed chuckle, and if his face had been visible to Allan then he would have seen the crimson which had painted his cheeks, Skinner feeling like a mother hen for needing to see Tom so much.

'Well I suppose, but don't wake him if he's asleep' Allan turned to leave and then remembered, 'he's in my room Skinner'

Not seeing a reason in needing to inform Skinner of why Tom was in his room, feeling like a mother hen himself for wanting Tom to be near to him and somewhere he was so sure of, Allan just nodded his head to Skinner before leaving the room and going down to the infirmary to find Jekyll.

* * *

Skinner came to the large door of Allan's room and pushed the handle down as quietly as he could. Walking into the room he kept the door slightly ajar so that he could see where he was going without having to turn on a light. On his face was a sad smile as he gazed at the sleeping form of Tom Sawyer, some of the dark bruises on his face visible even in the dim light of the room.

Walking over to the seat that was beside the bed Skinner lowered himself into it and removed his hat, setting it on the small beside table. He had been instructed by Allan not to wake Tom, and even though Skinner wanted to, just so he could talk to the boy and see how he was, he was more afraid of Allan remembering his first threat of putting his 'boot up his arse'. Settling himself into the plush chair, Skinner decided that he would just stay until Allan came back, and if Tom woke up before then all and good, but if not then he would just speak to him tomorrow.

It was about ten minutes later and Skinner was still sitting at Toms beside as the youth turned over in his sleep, his abused handsome face now facing Skinner. His eyelids slowly opened, revealing two slightly cloudy and tired green eyes looking at him.

'Well hey there kid, thought you were never gonna wake up and say hi' Skinner joked as he leaned forward and placed a gentle pat on Toms arm, a friendly gesture from one friend to another.

Pushing himself up onto his elbows, Tom ran a slim hand over his face, careful to avoid his jaw and then said,

'Bout now' Tom joked, a small smile on his face. He was glad to see that he wasn't alone when he had woken up, as he had done the past few days, and it was good to see that it was a friendly, if not somewhat invisible face.

Skinner smiled back, glad to see a smile on Toms face, even though it was a small one. He had been afraid that he wasn't going to be seeing one of those from Tom for a while, but now that he had, he felt his worry for the young man in front of him lessen, if only a tiny fraction.

Skinner was about to ask Tom how he was when the door was opened and Allan and Jekyll walked in, the doctor carrying a small bag with him.

'Lad, you're awake!' Allan exclaimed as he walked over to Tom and placed a fatherly hand on his head, in turn brushing some of Tom's hair from his eyes.

Walking over to the bed with a small smile on his face, Jekyll placed the bag which he had been carrying with him on the bed by the end of Tom's feet and opened it. He pulled from the bag a tourniquet, a small vial and a needle.

'Here's something to make you feel better Tom, just like I promised' Henry said as he walked over to Tom and began to roll up the sleeve of the black jumper to above Toms elbow and placed the tourniquet around his bicep.

Allan watched the whole time as Henry measured an amount from the vial and injected it into the blue vein in Toms arm before removing the tourniquet and rolling Toms sleeve back down, the large jumper causing the cuffs to cover some of Tom's hands.

'This might make you a little sleepy, but you should be resting anyway' Henry said with a small laugh and a smile as he placed the equipment back in the bag.

'_Maybe he should go to sleep for a long time, maybe that way then the brat won't be causing any trouble. Should've let M break his tiny body to pieces. Snap all his bones one by one. Save me the trouble!' _Hyde yelled inside Jekyll's head as he moved around to the other side of the bed, but Henry ignored him, knowing that the beast was just trying to annoy him, but he wasn't going to let him.

Tom felt the pain in his body begin to lessen as he eyes got a little heavier, and he lay back down in the bed, although he didn't close his eyes, not wanting to go back to sleep just yet. Seeing this, Allan sat down of the side of the bed beside Tom, a smile on his face as he said,

'Why don't you just go to sleep Thomas?' He hoped that using his surrogate sons full name might show that he was telling him to rest, but he wanted to make sure that he didn't sound pushy and demanding.

'Did you just call me Thomas?' Tom asked before a small yawn escaped him, the morphine and events of the previous couple of days catching up with him again.

'He sure did kid. But he is right, so you best go ta sleep now or you don't know that the old guy will do' Skinner said before he left the room, laughing at the look on Allan's face at being called 'old' by the invisible man. Henry was not far behind, his bag in toll as he closed the door to the room over, the small lamp once again being the only thing to illuminate the small room.

Tom let out a small laugh as he looked at the look on Allan's face, which instantly changed to a look of amusement too when he looked down at Sawyer. Pulling the blanket back up to cover Tom, Allan made his way over to the other side of the bed and kicked his shoes off before pulling his feet up onto the bed and reaching over for his glasses so that he could continue reading the books which he had found on Charles.

'What ya doing Allan' Tom mumbled out. He was lying on his side facing Allan, but his eyes where shut and his hair was in front of his eyes, making him look youthful and innocent.

Glancing up from his book, Allan turned his head to Tom and said in a quiet whisper of a voice,

'Just reading, but you sleep now'

Tom mumbled into the pillow 'Kay' before he let himself be pulled into the land of sleep, his breathing steadying out and his body relaxing as he lay in the bed covered in blankets.

'That's a good lad' Allan said with a smile as he brushed some of the hair from Toms eyes and then returned to his book, keen on reading a bit more before he too would need to rest.

* * *

It was the next morning and light was shining into Allan's room, waking the hunter who gave an aggravated groan as he opened his eyes to the onslaught of light. Turning his head to see whether or not the light had woken Tom as well, he couldn't stop the smile on his face at what he saw. Tom had the blanket pulled up over his head, shielding his eyes from the light which was coming through the window of the ship. Allan wasn't sure if Tom had done this in his sleep or if he too was awake, so he reached his hand over and placed a temperate hand on Tom shoulder as he said,

'Tom, are you awake son?'

Hearing the sound of Allan talking to him, although it was somewhat muffled due to the blanket over his head, Tom pushed the blanket down and smiled at the face of the man whom he considered to be a father to him.

'Yup' Tom said as he let out a small yawn and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Brushing some of his blonde hair from his eyes, Tom moved to stand from the bed but was stopped by Allan's hand around his wrist and the hunter saying,

'I think you should stay in bed Tom' and Tom could hear the slight fatherly tone of 'do what I say' in the other mans voice.

Resting back on the bed, Tom looked at Allan and said in a deadpan tone,

'I was going to the bathroom'

An embarrassed laugh escaped Allan at having been so protective of Tom, not even wanting to let him out of bed. Tom knew this and just patted Allan on the arm as he said,

'I don't mind you caring Allan', he wanted to let the older man know that his concern was not unwelcome.

Tom stood and got off the bed and made his way into the adjoining bathroom as Allan too stood and began to rummage through the mass of pages on his table. He was sorting through the pages, trying to determine which he could throw out and which would be useful when he heard a crash coming from the bathroom, his heart in his throat as he ran over to the door and slammed it open, not really caring if Tom wanted him in there or not.

Opening the door Allan rushed to Tom's side, the young man sitting on the floor with his hand to his head and his eyes squinted shut as if he was in pain.

'Thomas are you alright?' Allan asked as he rested his hand on Toms back, his large, scared brown eyes searching the face of Tom.

Tom opened his eyes and looked at Allan, the fear in the hunter's eyes visible to him.

'I just got really dizzy Allan…I'm fine now' Tom said before closing his eyes again, the sink in front of him still swaying from side to side and making him feel nauseous.

'Well, we'll get you back to bed and then I'll go and get Jekyll' Allan said before picking Tom up in his arms, not wanting to risk Tom falling and hurting himself again, and set him back on the bed.

Tom lay back on the bed and waited until Allan returned with a rather nervous looking Jekyll in tow. As soon as the other man had entered the room he had rushed straight over to the bed and rested a hand on Toms forehead as he said,

'Well the fevers not back. Maybe you just need something to eat'

Allan was hovering beside Henry the whole time, just as curious to see what was wrong with Tom as Henry was.

'Well, I'll just go to the kitchen and see if we can find something light' Henry said with a smile before leaving the room, and almost bumping into the invisible Skinner as he made his way through the door, wondering what all of the upheaval was about.

'Hey kiddo, what's the matter?' Skinner said as he looked at Tom lying on the bed, Allan's hawk like eyes watching him and making sure that he was alright.

'Just a little dizzy spell, nothing to worry about Skinner' Allan said as he cupped Toms shoulder while looking in the direction of the invisible man.

Skinner was about to reply when all of a sudden the ship was jolted to one side, sending him and Allan flying to the side of the room and Tom toppling off the bed.

'What the bloody hell is going on?' Allan shouted over the sound of the blaring alarm that had begun to ring out over the ship, telling everyone that something was wrong.

Allan rushed over to Tom and grabbed him under his bicep and over to him, his hand on the side of Toms face as he said to him,

'Are you O.K?' concerned that he had jarred some of his injuries when he fell from the bed.

Tom was about to answer when Henry came rushing into the room, his face as white as a sheet, his breath panting as he said,

'Someone's attack the ship from below the water…we have to get off now!'

* * *

**O.K, evil place to leave you, but what can I say…I am evil! Please review and let me know what you thought…I always love feedback.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, I know that it has been a while and that I left you all with an EVIL cliff-hanger, but I am back now, and I hope that you like this update! Again I would like to thank all who reviewed the last chapter:**

**Captiano, yaonne-san, Skunk and Hedgehog, XenophiliusFan, Sawyer Fan, 16aqua, HexGirl8604, Natalie and ****kdawg.**

**I hope that you all like this chapter, and please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

'_Someone's attack the ship from below the water…we have to get off now!'_

Allan looked over at the ghost white complexion of the doctor, his chest heaving as he started into the room with wide eyes,

'You have to get off!' Henry shouted, the vein in his neck bulging as he shouted into the room once more before walking into the room, although it was more like swaying, the ship tossing him from side to side as he tried to make his way across the room to the three other men.

Wrapping his arm around Tom, steadying the young man against his side as the ship was thrashed about, Allan looked at Henry with angry eyes as he said,

'And where do you suggest we go, Tom needs to recover, we can't go traipsing all over bloody London!'

Stepping in between the two men before one of them hit the other one, neither thinking clearly, Skinner interjected with,

'Calm down old boy, he'll be fine. We can go to a motel, an' he can rest up there' a smile was on the painted face, Skinner not believing for once he had been the one who Allan wasn't yelling at.

Looking at Skinner, both Allan and Henry blinked, neither knowing what to say.

Tom looked up into the face of Allan, and nudging him a bit with his arm, he said,

'That's a good idea Allan…so come on'

Allan looked down into the pale and abused face of Tom, and knowing that he and Skinner where right, and that he and Henry where just caught up amidst the drama, Allan nodded his head in agreement, and wrapped his arm protectively around his surrogate son as he looked at Henry and said,

'I'm sorry Henry, now lead the way man!'

* * *

They had gotten off the ship as fast as they could, grabbing as many things which they would need as they made their way out of the room and down the hall. SO now, they were standing in the hall of a slightly shabby motel, Allan over at the desk waiting for someone to come and tell them what rooms they had available, Tom, Skinner, Henry, Mina and Nemo all standing at the other side of the room.

'We need some rooms please, maybe three' Allan said to the old man behind the counter. He was a small man who was hunched over and had icy blue eyes and grey hair. Walking over to a wall which had keys hanging on it, the old man mumbled something under his breath before turning and walking back over to Allan, a set of keys in his hands.

'We only have two' He said in a grizzly voice as he looked up from under his eyes at the tall hunter, waiting for some sort of response.

Looking over at the group which was sitting in the corner, all beginning to get agitated and tired, Allan calculated just who would go where, and then turned back to the old man with a small smile on his face.

'That'll do' He said in his thick Scottish accent before handing over some money and taking the keys from the old man and making his way over to the rest of The League. Looking at them all he said,

'There are only two rooms, so that means that we are going to have to divide ourselves between them' He looked around at all of the faces, well, those that he could see anyway, and took in the looks of anger and frustration that were painted on most of their faces.

'Fine wit me love' Skinner said as he nodded his head in Mina's direction, earning a look of disgust from the vampire.

'Well, that's makes one of us, Mr. Skinner' Mina said as she glared in his direction before turning her attention unto Allan and saying,

'Who stays where Mr. Q…since you decided to place us in such a place with only two rooms' her eyebrow was raised as she looked at the hunter, challenging him for an answer.

'Well, me, the lad…and you I guess, since you don't want to be near Skinner' He said with a smirk over at the invisible man, who in turn gave a snort of laughter and said,

'Touchy, touchy. Well, lead the way then Allan'

* * *

It was a while later and all of the members of the League where in their own rooms, Henry, Nemo and Skinner in one, Mina, Allan and Tom in another.

'What now then Allan?' Tom asked with a slight hint of worry in his voice as he looked over at the Hunter, the look on his face betraying his normal 'devil may care' attitude, and letting Allan know just how he felt.

Setting down the gun which he had been polishing, Allan walked over and sat down on the bed beside Tom and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he gave him an encouraging smile and said,

'We wait here until we can go back to the ship…and then you rest and let us take care of it'

Mina, who had been sitting on her own bed, stood up and walked over and sat on the other side of Tom, placing her hand on his arm, smiling at him as he said,

'Mr. Q is right, you have to rest and get better'

Tom looked from Mina and then to Allan, a slight smirk on his face as he said,

'Ya two gonna gang up on me?'

Allan laughed as he patted Tom on the shoulder, and winked at him as he said in a slightly too cheery voice for Tom's liking,

'That's right boy!'

Standing up from her place on the bed, Mina leaned down and kissed Tom on the top of the head, her fingers grazing the bottom of his scalp gently as she pulled back and said,

'You should probably sleep now; Allan and I can talk to Henry, Nemo and Skinner'

Nodding his head in agreement, Allan stood up and followed Mina out the door, turning and looking at Tom before he left, and saying in a fatherly and caring tone,

'We'll be back soon, and we're just next door if you need anything. But you just sleep now; you've had a hectic day'

Nodding his head, Tom felt himself actually feeling drowsy and lay back down on the bed, his arms lying across his chest and his stomach.

'O.K Allan' Tom said with a smile, before the door was closed and he was left alone for the first time since he had been brought back by Allan just a day ago. Lying back and closing his eyes, Tom let himself be pulled into the land of sleep where he didn't have to worry about what was going to happen, where he could be safe and comforted by his dreams.

* * *

'_Tom…Tom, can you hear me?'_

_Tom heard a voice he didn't think that he would have ever heard again, at least not in this life. Turning around, he felt his heart thunder in his chest as he looked at the face of his late friend, Huck._

'_What...how did…Huck?' Tom stuttered out, unable to believe that he was standing face to face with his departed friend._

'_It doesn't matter Tom' Huck said with a smile as he looked at the astonished face of his friend. Touching a hand to his friends shoulder, Huck continued, 'What matters is that ya need to fight what's comin' Tom…no matter what ya have to fight it with all ya got'_

_Tom's brow furrowed in confusion, wondering what exactly Huck was talking about. Giving him a half-scared smile, Tom said, _

'_What ya talkin' bout Huck…fight what, what's gonna happen?' _

_But before Huck had the chance to explain, Tom felt himself being pulled out of his dreamy state, a voice in the distance calling his name softly, his body being softly shook._

'_Tom…Tom…come on boy, up you get'_

* * *

Tom opened his eyes and was greeted by the face of Allan, a small smile on his face as he said,

'Eyes open boy…time to go back to the ship'

Pushing himself up on his arms, Tom remembered the dream that he had just had with a look of worry on his face as he sat on the bed. Noticing this, Allan said to him,

'What's the matter boy, you feeling alright, I could go and get Jekyll?'

Looking over at Allan as he was pulled from his thoughts, Tom shook his head and placed a small smile on his face as he said,

'No, just a weird dream…probably all that stuff Jekyll gave me'

Nodding his head and laughing as he packed the few items that he had removed from his bag back into it, Allan said,

'Probably'

* * *

**A/N Well, I hope that you liked this update, and even though it wasn't that long, I will try and make the next one longer. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**OK, first off I want to say how sorry I am for not updating this in ages…but I had writers block and couldn't even think of how to start this chapter. But now that has lifted and I can happily say that this will be a nice long chapter for you to sink your teeth into. Well, I hope that you like it and please review and let me know what you think!**

**And thanks to all of those who reviewed the last chapter, you were:**

**yaonne-san, Sawyer Fan, kdawg, Dr Moehre, Capitano, XenophiliusFan, Skunk and Hedgehog, Natalie, Sakurabound and rave- up**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

The League were back on the Nautilus, the crew running around and trying to get everything back into some way of order after the recent events, tables, statues and paintings lying all over the floors, or smashed. They were all sitting in the dining room around the large table, Nemo at the head of it, Jekyll and Mina on one side, Skinner, Allan and Tom on the other.

"Did your men find anything?" Allan said as he looked at Nemo, was had a stoic expression on his face, his arms crossed tightly over his broad chest.

"No, it appears whoever had initiated this attack was long gone before it actually happened…I have men out searching" He said in a regal voice as he looked at Allan, his eyes quickly swiping over the rest of the League as he spoke.

"Well, I think that the best we can do for now is rest and begin our hunt tomorrow, when it is light out" Allan said as he stood from his seat, the others following suit. The whole time that the League had been talking Tom had been thinking about the dream he had dreamt back in the motel, wondering if it had just been a bad dream or if Huck was really trying to warn him about something. Allan had noticed the far off look in the boys eyes, and as they reached the door to the dining room, Allan placed a hand on Tom's arm, halting his movements, and said in a fatherly tone,

"Is everything alright Tom, you seemed a bit distracted?"

Tom looked up at Allan with a small smile, his green eyes bright as he said,

"No Allan, just trying to think about who could've done this" Tom said, only telling half of the truth. He didn't want Allan to worry over something that he wasn't even sure was true himself. After the attack on the ship, the hunter had enough on his mind.

"You're sure lad?" Allan asked as he looked deep into Tom's eyes, trying to see if he was just hiding what he was truly feeling. Seeing nothing, Allan patted Tom on the back lightly as he said,

"Well, don't think too much Sawyer; it's not good for you"

Tom gave Allan a mock glare, earning a laugh from the older man as they made their way through the door.

* * *

It was a few hours later and Tom and Allan were sitting in the hunter's room, the latter at the desk and flipping through a book, the other sitting perched on the bed, filing through masses of pages. They had been trying to find some sort of clue about what had happened and how all afternoon, and both were growing tired as they had yet to find anything of any form of aid to their mission. Setting down the page that he had been reading, Tom leaned his head against the headboard and blew out a breath, looking at Allan as he said,

"I saw we just go out and try and find them…we're wasting time here"

Allan looked up at him, a small grin on his face being suppressed at Tom's obvious impatience's about the situation. Taking his glasses off, Allan leaned back in his own chair as he said,

"Well, it will do to be well equipped with any knowledge about M and this Charles Williams…and besides, what makes you think you're going anywhere?"

Not giving his young protégé any time to reply, Allan put his glasses back on, picking his book up once more and said with a tone of finality in his voice,

"Nearly lost you once, not going to let it happen again"

Too tired to argue, although he wasn't going to let it lie, Tom frowned and picked his sheet of paper back up, lazy scanning over it, although there was nothing of use on it that he could see.

A knocking on the door pulled both men out of their own thoughts, their heads snapping to look at the door as Allan called,

"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal none other than Skinner, his white face and floating coat the only thing that they could see. Walking into the room and over to the table in the corner that had a bottle of scotch, a bucket of ice and some glasses, Skinner went about getting himself a drink as he said,

"So, you two fellas find anything yet?"

Tom couldn't stop the small laugh that left his mouth at the look of disbelief on Allan's face at Skinners actions. Laying his right arm across his stomach, the hand in a cast due to the actions of M, Tom looked at Skinner as he said,

"No, not yet…have you?"

Skinner turned around to face Tom, allowing him to see the liquor falling down where his throat would be and into his stomach, still an odd sight to Tom no matter how many times he had witnessed it.

"Nothing much cept for the fact that this Williams seems to be somewhat into magic…suppose it could have something to do with what happened" Skinner said with a nonchalance about him.

Allan stood up and walked over to Skinner, pulling the nearly empty scotch glass from his grasp and saying in a half annoyed voice,

"Yes Skinner, it is…so if you wouldn't mind indulging before I stick my boot up your arse for being such a pain in mine!"

Skinner looked over at Tom who gave him a small shrug, and then turned to look at Allan as he said,

"Well, all I read was that he is into magic…charms and spells and whatnot, that's all…not really that much"

Allan blew out a breath as he said,

"Well, I suppose that could explain something…now all we have to do is try and find our own mystics to help us", he said as he handed Skinner the glass back, who quickly took it and downed the rest in case Allan took the glass again, and walked over to his table once more.

"What ya doin' Allan?" Tom asked as he pushed himself forward, now sitting with his feet on the floor.

Not looking up as he rummaged through pages, Allan said,

"Looking for the name of an old friend of mine…he knows all about this magic stuff and I think that maybe he could help us"

Skinner nodded his head and said,

"Well, that sounds interesting, doesn't it Tommy?"

Tom looked at Skinner with a raised eyebrow for the use of the nickname, and said slowly,

"Am, yeah, sure"

Allan, oblivious to the conversation that was going on in the same room, smiled and said, "Found it!" proudly holding up a yellowing page, some writing scrawled on it.

"Well, I'll just leave you two fellas to your business then" Skinner said as he exited the room, but not before taking another shot of scotch.

Allan walked over to where Tom was sitting and perched on the bed beside him, setting his hand on his knee as he handed him the piece of paper and said with a warm smile,

"That man there was a good friend of mine when I was living in London, and I helped him out when we were just your age" Before Allan could finish, Tom laughed as he said,

"You can remember that far back?" teasing the hunter, who sent him a mock glare and slap him lightly on the leg as he said,

"Yes _boy_" he made sure to put emphasis on the second word before continuing, "and he said that if I ever needed help with anything of this sort that I could always come to him"

Tom smiled, recalling how he and Huck used to always be there for each other, willing to help the other one out no matter what the problem was. Looking at Allan, he asked,

"So I guess we gotta go tell the others now"

Standing, Tom following suit, Allan patted him on the shoulder lightly as he said,

"That we do son"

* * *

Tom was in his own cabin, the rest of the League having been informed of Skinners information and Allan's plan to seek out his old friend for some help. They had decided that they were going to go to the address that Allan had tomorrow, in the hopes that he was still there. Tom's face had nearly cracked when he had been told that he could come, Allan not wanting to leave him on his own. Of course, Allan had well informed him that he wasn't to be running around and trying to save the day that he was still injured and therefore had to be careful.

Tom was looking up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head. He could hear the sound of the rain falling from outside as it hit against his small window, the sound seeming much louder than it actually was in the quiet room. Tom felt his eyes growing heavy, sleep trying to claim him, and he didn't fight it, letting it take him.

_Tom was standing outside in the rain__ in an alley, his hair sticking to his face as it rained down, not planning on stopping any time soon. He was dressed in his black trousers and shirt, his suspenders hanging down as they always did. His didn't have his black trench coat or his guns, his arms exposed to the cruel weather around him, the rain stinging his skin like needles._

_Looking around when he heard footsteps coming from behind him, Tom was shocked when no one was there. Walking on a bit to one of the narrow alleyways, Tom felt his pulse quickening, afraid of what was going to be around the corner, having no weapons to protect himself._

"_Tom, look over here!" Tom turned around to where the sound of the familiar voice came from, and was surprised when he saw his late friend, Huck Finn standing before him once more._

"_Huck?" Tom asked as he __took a step forward, the same time as the other man did, both now within only a few inches of each other._

"_Yeah, it is" Huck replied, a smile on his face as he looked at Tom. He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers like Tom, the suspenders of his actually over his shoulders. Unlike Tom however, he also had his black trench coat on and his black hat. _

"_Remember what I told ya last time Tom?" Huck said as he swiped a hand across his eyes, pushing brown locks out of his vision._

"_Yeah Huck…but I don't understand, fight who?" Tom asked with a tremble in his voice and it was not only caused by the cold._

"_I can't tell ya Tom, but I can tell ya that ya can't trust some people Tom…remember that"_

_Tom was confused by Hucks words, his face showing this clearly. Pushing his blonde bangs out of his face, Tom looked at Huck with narrowed eyes as he said, _

"_Huck, you're not makin' any sense…why can't ya just tell me what's wrong?" Tom reached his hand out to touch Huck's shoulder, a bright light flashing in front of his eyes. _

_He was now sitting on the docks, Huck in his arms, gasping from breath and grabbing onto the front of his shirt which was stained by his blood. The rain was falling, coinciding with the sound of the footsteps of M's men as they left the docks. Tears fell down Tom's cheeks as he looked into Huck's eyes, the light slowly fading from them._

"_Huck…don't go, please, I'm sorry" Tom choked out in a sob as he pulled his friend closer to him._

_Huck looked up at Tom, tears falling from his own eyes as he said in a whisper, _

"_Ya didn't do anything wrong Tom…don't say sorry" He watched as Tom shook his head, his tears falling onto Hucks cheeks. Huck lifted his hand and placed it on top of Tom's, the hand that was currently trying to stop blood flowing from the bullet wound in Hucks chest. Giving it a small squeeze, his energy quickly fading, he forced a small smile onto his pale face as he said, _

"_Tom you're…gonna be…fine, alright" His words were broken up as his body fought to live, his life slowly fading away, "ya have to…remember that" With that, the light left his eyes, his lids closing and his chest falling once more._

_Tom cried harder as he hugged his friend to him, his face buried in his neck. He couldn't believe that he was reliving that night again, the pain and torment as fresh now as it had been then. As the rain pounded down, Tom felt someone pulling at him, his body unwilling to let go of his dead friend._

"_Tom…Tom…TOM!"_

Tom jumped up in bed, panting heavily, his blankets tangled at his feet. Strong hand were holding his shoulders, but still caught in his dream he tried to push them off, only to stop when he heard the voice of Allan saying,

"It's alright son, calm down"

Tom stopped pushing the hands away and relaxed slightly, looking at Allan as he sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands still holding onto his shoulders. Allan lifted from hand from his shoulder and ran his thumb over his cheeks, wiping away the tears that Tom had cried in his sleep.

"What was it?" Allan asked his hand settling on the side of Tom's neck as the younger man looked at him with red rimmed eyes, visibly shaking from whatever nightmare he had been trapped in.

"I was…it was the night Huck died…I was there again and-"

Allan pulled Tom to him in a hug, Toms face buried in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around him. Placing a hand atop of Tom head, his fingers tangling in the blonde hair as he said,

"It was just a bad dream Tom, that's all it was, son" Allan said in a comforting voice, his cheek pressed against the top of Tom's head. He had nearly jumped out of his skin when he had heard Tom's cries, so anguished and scared; and when he had opened the door to his room, seeing the same look reflected on the abused face, so young in his sleep, Allan's heart had broke.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes until Tom's trembling had ceased and he shifted in the embrace, his cheek against Allan's shoulder as he looked out the window and out into the rain, his voice quiet and horse as he said,

"Will it always be like this?"

Tightening his hold on Tom, Allan shook his head as he said in a firm but gentle voice,

"No, it'll get better Tom…with your family here to help you it'll get better"

Tom closed his eyes, and in a soft voice he said,

"Thanks Allan"

* * *

**OK, there you go, another chapter! And didn't I promise that this one would be longer. Well, I hope that you liked this, especially the Tom/Allan father/son moments, cos I love writing them! Please review and let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to all of those who read and reviewed last chapter, your comments, as always, are greatly appreciated. Those who reviewed are:**

**Sawyer Fan, Skunk and Hedgehog. yaonne-san, Capitano, Sakurabound, rave- up, kdawg, Miss Quartermain, Lyn, devilburns and mischeiflover.**

**David is a creation of my own, and I do not own the others…although I wouldn't mind having Tom!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

It was the next morning and the League was gathered in the dinning room once again to hear the plans for the day. They were all eagerly anticipating what they were going to do to stop Charles and M, every member wanting nothing more than to stop the man who had again hurt one of their own. Allan walked through the large doors, his eyes scanning the room and taking in the sight of everyone. Skinner was sitting in his usual seat, a glass of scotch floating in the air as he held it in his invisible hand. Mina was facing him, sending him a glare for whatever he had said before Allan had arrived; no doubt it was something crude or vulgar if Skinner was concerned. At the top of the table sat Nemo and Jekyll, both men in conversation about something, although he couldn't quite hear and guessed by the looks on their faces that it was just something trivial. He was shocked when he noticed that Tom had not yet arrived, his seat beside Mina and his own remaining vacant. Looking at the rest of the members, he asked,

"Has Tom been here yet?" wondering if perhaps he had just stepped out for a moment.

Spinning around when he heard the sound of the door opening, the League's replies died on their lips as their youngest member came walking through the doors, a small smile on his face as he apologized,

"Sorry, didn't know how late it was"

Allan felt a rush of relief and paternal love for the boy wash over him. He had been truly concerned when he had entered the room and not seen Tom there, his immediate thought that something had happened to him. Over the past few days their bond had grown immensely and Allan was glad for that. Walking over to the table and sitting down in his chair, which was beside Tom, Allan began,

"As I informed you last night, I have an acquaintance who I believe may be of some help to us in our current situation. I'll go with Skinner and Tom to his house this afternoon, and Mrs. Harker and Dr Jekyll can go into town and get the supplies we need"

All members of the League nodded their head in approval, bar Tom, who couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Although Allan didn't see this reaction, something which Tom was glad of.

"So it's me, you and the kid then mate?" Skinner said with a smile on his painted face, earning a glare from the hunter. Sometimes Skinner could make him angry from just a few words.

"Yes, Skinner, me, you and _Tom_ will be going together" He put emphasis on Tom's name, for some reason feeling himself getting riled up whenever Skinner referred to Tom as just a child. He knew that he himself referred to Tom as "boy" sometimes, but that was more a fatherly term of endearment, whereas he felt that sometimes Skinners could be demeaning, making Tom feel less than the rest of the League due to the fact that his age had not let him tally up quiet as many experiences as the others had.

Mina walked over to Allan, smiling at Tom as she did, sending a glare at Skinner, who simply smiled back at her, and said,

"Mr. Quartermain, I was wondering if perhaps you would be opposed to me staying here and working in my lab, I feel that I may be onto something and would hate to leave in the middle of something"

Allan ran his hand over his beard as he thought for a moment and replied with a small smile,

"Whatever you feel is best, Mrs. Harker…Skinner can go with Jekyll instead"

Mina nodded her head, a small smile on her pale face as she said in a deadpan voice,

"I'm sure he'll be pleased…that's all Mr. Q"

Allan watched as the vampire walked out of the room, turning his head to look at Tom when she was out of his line of sight, and said with a grin,

"One way to get rid of him"

This earned a laugh from the youngest member, who looked at Allan with a smirk, his eyebrow raised, and said,

"What, spending all day with Skinner not yer idea of fun, Allan?"

Allan laughed as he patted Tom on the back, and said,

"No son, it's not"

Tom laughed back as he followed Allan out the door of the dining room, and walked in a comfortable silence with him down the hall, both men caught in their own thoughts. As it came time for them to part so that Allan could go to his room, and Tom could go to his, both needing to get ready so that they could do out, Allan placed a gentle hand on Tom's shoulder as he said,

"Listen lad, if ya don't feel up to this yet, let me know"

Tom smiled, feeling his heart well at the paternal concern that Allan was showing him, and patted Allan's hand as he said with a grin,

"I'm fine Allan…ya can't get rid of me that quick"

Smirking, the old hunter patted Tom's shoulder once more before saying,

"Fine, but don't think I'm going to be carrying your lazy behind back here"

Tom laughed as he shook his head and walked down the hall to his own room. Once inside he quickly stripped out of the clothes he was currently wearing, and pulled on a clean shirt and pants. Sitting down on his bed, Tom was tying the laces of his boots when he began to think about the dream that he had dreamt the previous night. He knew that he shouldn't take dreams so literal, that sometimes his mind was just telling him what he wanted to hear in his sleep.

_I mean, I was afraid of what would happen on this mission…so maybe I'm jus' tryin' ta convince myself that somethin's gonna happen and I have to steer clear_

Of course, the fact that Tom had been warned by Huck in two dreams not to trust people, and that he had to fight, was quite unsettling. Pushing the thought back, Tom stood from his bed and grabbed his two Colt 45 pistols, and put them in the holsters that hung around her slight waist. Grabbing his trench coat, Tom pulled it on and opened his door, closing it behind him with a _"click"._

* * *

Tom and Allan where walking down the street, side by side, both keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Allan had wanted to take the car, but Tom had insisted that the fresh air would do him some good, cos that's what his Aunt Polly had told him. In reality, the thought of Allan driving the car had made him nearly tremble, and he would have tried anything to get Allan to walk.

"If you need to stop or slow down, just let me know son" Allan said, his hand on Tom's bicep.

Laughing a little, Tom looked at Allan with a smile as he said,

"I know Allan; ya don't have to worry so much…I'm fine, _really_"

Looking Tom straight in the eyes, trying to see if the boy was putting on any kind of a show, masking the pain that he might have been in, Allan saw nothing. Patting him on the back, Allan grinned as he said,

"That's good to hear son. And you'll be happy to know we're almost there anyway"

Tom shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded his head.

* * *

Rolling his eyes, Henry pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

_Why Mina couldn't just have come…then I wouldn't be stuck with him?_

Looking over at Skinner, Henry snatched the vial from the invisible mans hands, and said with a sigh,

"Please stop touching things Rodney…you'll break something"

Skinner held his hands up in mock defeat, taking a step back from the bottle that he had been holding. He and Jekyll had been given the task of getting the supplies that the League would need while they were on their mission, some of which being some more medical supplies. Although Nemo did keep a high stock of the essentials, gauze, sutures and morphine, Henry always kept his own supply of potions and the such that he could use if such a case would arise that his more extensive medical knowledge would need to be addressed.

Gathering up all of the things that he needed, Henry walked up to the small counter at the front of the shop, a small terraced house that had been converted into a shop that sold potions and books of a more mystic nature. It was cramped full to the brim, Henry having to step over numerous baskets that littered the floor just to get to the till.

Paying for his items, Henry walked back over to Skinner, who was playing with a small statue, and slapped his hand away.

"We're done" He said in an irrigated voice, glad that the experience of having to go anywhere with Skinner was nearly over.

"_I could really make him disappear if you want me to Henry…you know that I could" _Hyde snarled in Henrys mind, an evil laugh resounding after his threatening words.

"Oh, all of your fancy potions and whatnot's bought then, mate?" Skinner said as he grinned at Henry with his head tilted to one side. "Early yet, what do you say we stop into the pub for a drink then?"

Sighing, Henry walked out of the shop as he replied,

"No"

* * *

Tom followed Allan up the cobbled path to a small house, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets when he felt the cold wind send chills around him, billowing his coat out around his feet.

Allan rapped the door, silently waiting for someone to answer. A few moments later a man with grey hair, and of similar build to Allan, although he was slightly taller, opened the door, an obvious look of surprise on his face when he saw the man who was standing on his doorstep.

"Allan bloody Quartermain…is that you?" The man said as he pulled Allan into a quick hug, Tom hiding a smirk with his hand.

Laughing, Allan pulled back and said with a smile and a nod of his head,

"Yes David, it is" Turning to look at Tom, he placed his hand on his shoulder before looking back to David, and said, "And this here is Tom Sawyer"

Tom extended his hand to the other man, smiling as he said,

"Nice to meet ya sir"

Returning the gesture, David laughed a little as he said,

"Do come in"

Allan walked in first, closely followed by Tom. The two men followed David over to the pallor area and sat down; David in a high back seat, similar to the style of one that Dorian Grey had been sitting in when Allan had first went to meet him. Tom and Allan where sitting side by side on a sofa facing him, a small coffee table with books piled up on it in-between them.

"So Allan, I heard that you've been getting back to your old ways…joining a League of some sort"

Allan ran a hand over the back of his neck, his hat sitting on the coffee table in front of him. With a wry grin he said,

"Yes…with Tom here"

He wanted to distract the conversation from why he had done something he swore he wouldn't, serve the crown again. He didn't want to go into that conversation right now, especially when there were more serious matters at hand.

Looking at Tom, David smiled as he said,

"Yes, I hope you don't mind me asking, Mr. Sawyer, but how exactly did you become a member of the League?"

Tom smiled as he said,

"Just call me Tom, sir", earning a smile from the other man, "Well, we knew that there was a chance that a war could come across the Atlantic…so we wanted to try and stop it 'fore it did"

David nodded his head and smiled as he said,

"Very wise. So you work for the government?"

Nodding his head, Tom said with a proud grin,

"Yeah, a marksman for the American Secret Service"

Allan grinned as he patted Tom on the shoulder and said to David,

"And quite a marksman he is…but there's another reason concerning Tom here that I need your help with"

Nodding his head, David sat back into his chair, his hands clasped together in front of him and one leg resting on the other. His face had taken on a serious expression as he said,

"Really, what is it?"

He glanced between Tom and Allan, waiting for one to speak. It was Allan, who answered, saying simply,

"We need you to give us a protection spell for Tom…to keep him safe" As Allan said the second part, he looked at Tom, his eyes reflecting a concern that was reserved only for the youngest of the League.

"I see protection from what exactly?"

"A very dangerous man…are you able to help us?"

Running a hand over his beard, David thought for a moment before nodding his head and saying,

"I think I have just the thing you need, if you'll excuse me a moment" David stood from his chair and walked into a small room that was adjoined to the parlor.

Looking at Allan, Tom said with a lop-sided grin,

"This is goin' well, ain't it Allan"

Patting Tom on the shoulder, Allan let out a small laugh as he said,

"It is son, it is"

Grinning more, Tom leaned in closer as he said hopefully,

"This mean I can come with ya 'stead of stayin' on the ship?"

Shaking his head, Allan grinned at the boy's question, and replied sternly,

"No, that's not what it means"

Before Tom could protest, David came walking back into the room, a small bottle in his hands that contained a black colored liquid. Handing it to Allan he said,

"This should do it…drink this and say this", he handed Allan a small piece of paper with some writing scribbled on it, "and Tom here will be as protected as if you where his shadow"

Standing, Allan smiled as he said,

"Thank you David…if there's anything you ever need"

Shaking his head, David said with a smile,

"It's no problem, helping a friend is enough…but do try and see me again before nearly twenty years have passed"

Allan laughed at that one, shaking David's hand.

"Well I'm afraid I have some business to attend to…if that doesn't work you know where to find me. It was nice meeting you Tom"

Smiling, Tom said,

"Nice to meet ya too, sir"

Allan and Tom both left the house, Tom sighing as he seen the rain that had begun to pour from the sky, the sky an wicked looking shade of grey. Looking at Allan, Tom said with a smirk,

"Guess we should've taken the car, huh, Allan?"

Shaking his head, Allan pulled his own coat tighter around him as he said,

"Yes, son, we should have"

Watching from his window, David waited until he had seen Tom and Allan go out of sight and around the corner of the street. Turning around, he smiled as he said,

"That's my part of the deal over, so I expect my payment now"

Walking over to David, Charles grinned as he said,

"Not exactly, when I have that boy back again, then you'll get your payment"

Laughing evilly, Charles looked out the window in the same direction that Tom and Allan had went, and said in a harsh voice,

"You'll be sorry you ever messed with me, boy"

* * *

**Well, there you go! I hope that you liked it…please review and let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to all of those who read and reviewed last chapter, your comments, as always, are greatly appreciated. Those who reviewed are:**

**Miss Quartermain, yaonne-san, mischieflover, Capitano, wicked-n-lazy, .Eternal.Disaster., Dr Moehre, Sawyer Fan and devilburns**

**I'd like to mention my new trailer that I made for this fan fiction. I think that it is better than the original one, because it is made on Sony Vegas Pro 8.0, and it focuses mainly on Tom and Allan, just like this story. The link to my youtube account is in my profile, so I hope that you check it out and let me know what you think. **

* * *

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Tom turned to look at Allan and laughed at the look on the hunters face. The rain had fell from the sky like there was no tomorrow only minutes after they had left David's house, and both men were soaked head to toe and shivering from the cold as the water seeped through their clothes and into their skin. Grinning, Tom said,

"It rains a lot here"

Turning to look at Tom with a slight frown, Allan wrapped his hand around his bicep and began to walk down the hall, and said in a stern voice, although his concern for the younger man showed through,

"You were sick not that long ago Tom, days in fact, and sitting in wet clothes isn't the best thing to do"

Tom felt a pang of guilt course through him. Allan had done nothing but dote on him and care for him since he had gotten back and he hadn't even thought about his own safety that day, concentrating more on the fact that he was getting to leave the ship than about anything else. Looking at Allan, he said in a soft voice,

"Sorry Allan"

Stopping mid walk, Allan let go of Tom's arm and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as he looked Tom in the eyes and said with a small smile,

"Don't be sorry…just get back to your room and get warmed up" Allan ruffled Tom's hair affectionately, pushing some of it from his eyes, before adding, "You silly buffoon"

Tom laughed as he raised his eyebrow and said,

"Ya not call me that when we were drivin' Nemo's car?"

Allan grinned as he nodded his head, putting his hand on Toms back between his shoulders as they both began to walk again, and replied,

"Yes…and that time you certainly were"

* * *

It was an hour later and Tom was lying on his bed, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. The day had turned out well, all except for getting soaked, and Tom was pleased to say that his dreams with Huck had probably just been nightmares brought on by the stress of wondering what was going to happen. Hearing a gentle knocking on his door, Tom pushed himself up on his elbows and said,

"Come in"

Tom sat up fully when he saw that it was Allan, the small vial that David had given them and the page held in his hands. Allan walked into the room, shutting the door behind him, and sat down on the bed beside Tom.

Putting the back of his hand to Tom's forehead, Allan waited a few moments before saying,

"You're a little warm"

Tom ran a hand over the back of his neck, worried that Allan might want to let him leave the ship for another few days, and knowing that he wouldn't be able to stand being cooped up.

"I'm fine Allan, _really_" Tom said in what he hoped was his most convincing voice, the one that he would often use on Aunt Polly when he had done something wrong and was trying to get his way out of it.

Allan looked at Tom for a moment, taking his hand off his forehead and said in a gentle voice,

"I know son, but better to be safe than sorry. I think that you should stay off your feet for a few more days, at least until you're better"

Tom let a small sigh escape his lips as he looked at Allan and said,

"But I'm fine…its jus' a little warm in here" He knew that his excuse was weak, but he hated the thought of Allan leaving him behind. "Come on Allan"

Allan patted Tom on the leg as he said,

"O.K, lad. I'll see how you are in the morning, let Jekyll check you over, and if you're fine then no need to worry" Allan knew that once Tom had given him the pleading voice and puppy dog eyes that he wouldn't be able to say "no", the face of boy whom he had come to consider a son tugging at his heart strings.

"But first we need to get this into you" Allan said as he held up the small vial. Tom pulled a face, causing Allan to laugh as he said, "Why do you look like you've just swallowed a lemon, son?"

Tom looked at Allan, his head gesturing with a nod to the vial in Allan's hand as he said,

"Looks like stuff Aunt Polly used to give me…tasted like tar it did"

Allan chuckled as he said,

"Well, it was good for you then and this is good for you now, no getting your way out of this one, boy"

Tom looked at him with a grin as he said,

"What makes ya think I would do a thing like that, Allan?"

Leaning closer to Tom, Allan grinned himself as he said,

"Because, Mr. Sawyer, I know you almost as well as I know myself"

Tom pulled back and raised his eyebrow as he said,

"Mr. Sawyer…why we getting' all formal?"

Laughing, Allan held up the vial in his hand as he said,

"Changing the subject doesn't work either…the sooner you take it the sooner it's over"

Taking the bottle from Allan, Tom unscrewed the cap of it and threw it on the table beside his bed. Lifting it closer to his nose, he gagged as he smelt it, a disgusting smell that he could almost taste without even putting it in his mouth. Looking at Allan, who had put on his glasses and was scanning over the sheet of paper that David have given to him, he asked,

"So I take this and then ya say that?"

Nodding his head, Allan looked at Tom as he said,

"That's what he said…drink it all now"

Tom looked at the vial, practically glared at it, before lifting it to his lips and swallowing it, forcing himself not to spit it out on the floor. It tasted like off meat and all Tom wanted to do was run his tongue under the water to rid it of its awful taste.

"Per is imbibo ego locus a alica in thee ut sustituo meus vox." Allan said, turning to look at Tom when he was finished. "Do you feel any different?" Allan asked, studying Tom's face.

"Like throwin' up" Tom said with a smirk, although that quickly faded as his eyes rolled back and his body fell slack, Allan jumping forward and catching his slight frame in his arms.

"Tom! Tom! Can you hear me son?" Allan asked with urgency in his voice as he placed his hand on Tom's cheek, trying to rouse him. Not getting any response Allan quickly moved and picked Tom up in his arms, his body lax and unmoving.

Skinner, who had been outside the room at the time and had heard Allan shouting, had opened the door just at the same time that Allan had been making his way over to it, and was shocked at the sight of Tom's unconscious form being cradled in Allan's arms.

"What happened?" Skinner asked as he half jogged down the hall after Allan, who was taking large steps towards the infirmary.

"That potion David gave me, it did something to Tom and now he won't wake up" Looking down at Tom's face, which had began to pale, Allan added, "If I found out this was on purpose, I'll kill him, I swear"

"Why would he do something like that" Skinner asked, moving forward and opening the door to the infirmary for Allan.

"I don't know" was the only reply he got before Allan began to call out to Henry, "Jekyll! Get in here quick, it's Tom"

Henry, who had been at his desk in the adjoining room, leapt up and ran out into the room with Allan, Skinner and Tom, asking,

"What happened?"

As Allan set Tom down on the bed, the same one that he had laid him in only days before when he had just found him, Allan quickly said,

"The potion David gave us, he took that and then he just passed out"

Henry began to listen to Tom's breathing and feel for his pulse, ensuring and confirming that he was still alive and breathing. Looking at Allan, who had sat down in the chair beside Tom's bed, his large hand wrapped around Tom's, his thumb running back and forth over his wrist, feeling his life pulsing beneath it, Henry said,

"His pulse is good and he's breathing on his own…but I'm afraid I don't know what would have caused such a reaction. Do you have any of the potion left so I can test it?"

Shaking his head, Allan replied,

"No, there's none left", his eyes staring at Tom's face, which was tilted at an angle towards him.

"I'm afraid all we can do is wait for Tom to wake up and keep monitoring him for any changes until he does"

Nodding his head, Allan never once broke his gaze from Tom's face. Sensing that the hunter wanted some time alone, and knowing that he was leaving Tom in safe hands, Henry said,

"I'll leave you with him, if you need me I'll be next door"

"And I'll go and tell the others what's happening" Skinner added, exiting the room and leaving Allan and Tom alone.

Pulling his chair closer to the bed, Allan placed a gentle hand on Tom's head, the other still clasping Tom's cool hand, and said,

"I'm so sorry lad…I promised I wouldn't let you get hurt again and here you are"

Leaning his head on the bed beside Tom's, Allan let a few silent tears fall from his eyes, thinking that he had failed another son.

* * *

It was a few hours later and Allan woke, finding that he had fallen asleep in the same position that he had lay down in, his head resting beside Tom's. Feeling someone touching his arm, Allan lifted his head, amazed that it was Tom.

"Allan" Tom said in a sleepy voice as he opened his eyes, locking gazes with his father figure.

"Tom!" Allan exclaimed as he pulled him into a hug, sitting on the edge of Tom's bed. Tangling his fingers in Tom's hair as he rested his cheek against his head, Tom's own cheek pressed against the hunters warm chest, Allan said,

"I'm so glad you're awake son"

Nodding his head, or as much as he could wrapped in Allan's tight embrace, Tom said,

"What happened…I remember taking the potion, but after that…"

"You passed out Tom…but you're alright now, and that's all that matters"

Pulling back Allan, smiled at Tom, glad that he was awake, and cupped his face in his large hands, placing a paternal kiss on his forehead, still shocked that Tom was finally awake.

"I'll go and let Jekyll know you're awake…he and the other's will be pleased"

Stepping out from behind the curtain that had been pulled around Tom's bed, Allan called out,

"Jekyll" Receiving no response, he walked over to the adjoining room and knocked on the door before opening it, surprised to find it was empty. He could have sworn that Henry had told him he would stay there in case Tom needed him.

Walking back over to Tom's bed, Allan pushed back the curtain and said,

"Must've stepped out for something…I'll go and check. I'll be back in a minute Tom"

* * *

Nodding his head, Tom smiled at Allan before lying back against the pillows, still feeling sleepy from whatever had been in the potion, his own body feeling like it was moving slower than usual.

* * *

Walking down the hall, Allan suddenly became aware of how quiet it was, and quickened his pace as he made his way to the dinning room. Pushing open the door, he was shocked to find Mina, Skinner and Henry lying on the floor. Rushing over to them, he roused them, his eyes darting to each of them as he said,

"What happened?"

Pushing himself up, Henry said,

"There was a gas…we all passed out"

Pushing himself off the floor, Allan's eyes widened as he said,

"Tom" before turning on his heel and running back down the hall, Skinner, Mina and Jekyll quickly following behind him.

* * *

Tom had felt his eyes drifting shut, but forced them to stay open, his vision blurring together as he did. Hearing footsteps outside the room, Tom forced himself to sit up again, his hand going to his head as the room danced in front of his eyes, swaying back and forth.

"Allan" Tom called out; wondering if that was the hunter back already, having found Jekyll. Getting no reply, Tom craned his neck slightly to try and see out the small gap in the curtain, but he couldn't make anything out.

"Allan, is that you?" Tom asked again, feeling his own pulse quicken and a beads of sweat form on his brow.

"No, it isn't" came the cool reply, a voice smooth yet rough at the same time, the grin on the mans face visible from the sound of his voice.

Tom felt his breath hitch in his throat as the curtain was pulled back, revealing the face of Charles Williams. Walking over to Tom quickly, he clasped his hand over his mouth, and leaned forward as he hissed in his ear,

"I told you that you would be sorry"

With his other hand he landed a blow to Tom's head, knocking his unconscious and causing his body to slump forward. Lifting Tom over his shoulder Charles quickly moved back out the door and down the hall, entering a small room where the body of a dead sailor lay.

Walking over to the window, He passed Tom's limp body out and to David, the man hoisting Tom over his own shoulder and waiting for Charles, the two men then quickly getting into a carriage and making their way down the road.

* * *

Running into the infirmary, Allan skidded to a halt when he saw the empty bed, Skinner nearly colliding with him as he charged into the room behind him.

"He's gone...they've taken him again" Allan said the anger clear in his voice. Although the sadness soon crept through, tears which had fell only an hour before threatening to fall again as he said in a quiet voice, "I really have failed him"

**A/N I just can't leave poor Tom alone, can I? Well, you all love reading it and I love writing it. Please review and let me know what you thought.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for all of the reviews in the last chapter, as always, they are greatly appreciated. Those who reviewed were:**

**yaonne-san, wicked-n-lazy, Miss Quartermain, mischieflover, Capitano, devilburns, Dr Moehre and Sawyer Fan.**

**And I know that some people couldn't find the link to the trailer I made for this story, so I'm going to post it here and you just have to copy and paste the link to get it to work. I hope that you check it out and let me know what you think.**

ie./watch?vfzKQJrLaBk

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Charles and David where both sat in the back of the carriage which they were using to take them back to David's house, Charles knowing that Allan and the rest of the League would go back to the warehouse where they had found Tom, and he couldn't risk them getting the boy again. M would be furious when he had found out what had happened, but Charles knew now that he had Tom back again; his boss wouldn't take it out on him as badly as he may have if he hadn't retrieved Tom again. Looking over at Tom, Charles snarled as he grabbed his jaw, angling his face so that he was looking at him,

"You, _boy_, are more trouble than you're worth"

Throwing his face from his hand, Charles looked at David and said,

"Quartermain knows where you where living, right…so we'll have to go somewhere else. Do you own any other estates that the old man doesn't know about?"

Looking over at Tom, David felt his mind and his heart pulling at each other, trying to tell him to do different things. When he had first met Tom earlier that day his mind had been so consumed with the deal that he had struck with Charles, the other man promising to pay him thousands if he helped him capture Tom again. He hadn't ask what they planned to do to him once they had him, his mind not even comprehending such a thought. But now as he looked at him, his youthful face pale and abused, a bruise coloring his cheekbone from where Charles had obviously landed a blow, David was perplexed as what he should do.

Making up his mind as to what he was going to do, David replied,

"Yes, it's not far from the country…a secluded area"

Laughing evilly, Charles looked over at Tom again, his face twisted in an evil smile as he said,

"Good"

* * *

Back on the Nautilus Allan was in his room getting his guns, Matilda held strongly in his right hand as he marched out the door.

"What are you gonna do Allan?" Skinner asked as he walked down the hall beside the hunter, who had a look of determination and anger on his face.

"Find him and bring him back" Allan answered simply, his steps never faltering as he turned the corner and began to make his way to the ramp leading off the ship. Feeling a hand on his arm, halting his motions, Allan said gruffly,

"Not now Skinner, I don't have time for this"

Dropping his hand, Skinner said in a soft voice,

"You're not gonna be able to find him on your own Allan…let us help you"

Turning his head, Allan was shocked to see the other members of the League standing there, and for a brief second a small smile graced his face, but only for a moment as he remembered about Tom, and said,

"But I can't just stand around and wait for the lad to get hurt again…or worse" He couldn't bring himself to say the word ,"killed", knowing that it would sound so numb to his ears that he would stop and not be able to start again, the thought of another son dying on him breaking his heart. A heart that had only opened again and began to builds itself up again a few months ago, when a cocky American with a "_shoot now ask questions later_" attitude had waltzed into his life.

Walking down the ramp and over to Allan, Mina uncharacteristically placed a comforting hand on top of Allan's, the gesture momentarily shocking him, and said,

"He won't Allan…we'll find him_, together_"

Offering her a small smile, Allan said,

"Well what are we waiting for?"

Hearing the roaring of an engine, Allan watched as Skinner drove the car down the ramp and stopped, allowing all of the members to get in. Looking at Allan, who was situated in the front passenger's seat, Skinner said,

"We'll get him mate, don't you worry"

* * *

Pulling up to a dusty driveway, the grass long and the paint on the house dirty, ivy growing up the sides, Charles said,

"I take it no one comes here often?"

Looking at Charles, David nodded his eyes and said,

"No, it's just me and I haven't been here in quite a number of years"

As the rain began to fall from the sky again, having only stopped for a short space of time, Charles got out of the car, pulling Tom up and over his shoulder as David walked over to the house and opened the door, allowing both men to walk inside.

Dropping Tom carelessly to the floor with a dull thud, Charles walked around the room, surveying it. Walking over to the window, Charles pushed the yellowed curtain back, looking through the screen of dust that painted the window, and said,

"Is there a basement here?"

Looking down at Tom, the boy still unmoving, David replied,

"Yes"

Grinning, Charles turned back to David, and said,

"Good…don't want anyone passing to hear him scream"

Running a hand over the back of his neck, David opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Charles as he walked over to him, a thick envelope in his hand, and said,

"Here's your payment…I want you to go now, I don't need you anymore"

Hesitantly taking the envelope and pushing it into his coat pocket, David looked at Charles as he asked the question he was previously going to,

"What are you going to do to him?"

Looking around the room, Charles simply replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world,

"Torture him and find out about the League…then kill him, why?"

Concealing his shock and horror at what Charles had just said, David replied as calmly as he could at the moment,

"Just wondering" Walking over to the door, David took one last look at Tom before leaving and getting in the carriage.

* * *

It had taken them longer to get there, Skinner claiming that he knew a short cut, a short cut which took twenty more minutes of their time that the actual route that Allan and Tom had walked. Pulling up at David's house, Allan stepped out of the car and strode up to the door, banging on it as he shouted,

"Open the door, damn it!"

Walking behind him, Jekyll said in a shaky voice, his eyes darting around slightly,

"I don't think we should try and attract so much attention, Allan"

Stopping his hammering on the door, Allan turned his head to look at Jekyll, his fist still raised.

"I guess your right", dropping his hand, Allan turned to look at Skinner, the hat and coat floating in the garden immediately walking over to the door and dropping down to his knees, the same utensil that he had used before being removed from his pocket as he shimmied at the lock, opening it.

"There you go, old boy" Skinner said, a pleased look on his face due to his handiwork. Looking over at Jekyll, who was looking at him with a slightly raised eyebrow, Skinner said,

"See, I knew my other skills would come in handy"

Pushing the door open, Allan strode into the house and began walking from room to room, searching for any sign of David. Not finding any, he began to leaf through the piles of pages on his desk, seeing if he could find anything that would explain to him why David had betrayed him like he had.

"Mina, would you and Skinner be able to go to the warehouse where we first found Tom, and Jekyll will stay here with me?"

Looking over at Skinner, whose painted face was grinning at the thought of being alone with her, Mina scowled at him before turning her face back to Allan, and looking at him with her piercing blue eyes as she replied,

"Certainly…but don't expect him back in one piece"

Smirking, Allan offered her a grateful smile as he said,

"Thank you, Ms Harker"

Allan looked over at Jekyll and said,

"We'll wait here…and when he comes back we'll get our answers"

* * *

Tom was lying on a cold and grimy floor in the basement of the house, his hands and feet both chained to the wall. There was no light in the room at all except for the small line that flooded in from the hall in on the ground floor of the house under the door at the top of the wooden stairs that led down to the basement.

Opening the door to the basement, Charles walked down the steps and over to the side of the room, flicking a small switch and bathing the room in a dim light. Walking over to where Tom lay, he crouched down beside him and grabbed his face with his hand, staring at him with cold eyes and a malevolence smile on his face.

_Tom was lying on the floor of the basement, his hands and feet chained up. Looking at the door, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and pushed himself up, cautious that it was Charles coming back. The door handle was turned and Tom felt a sweat break out on his back and forehead as he saw feet walking down the steps._

"_Allan!" Tom said in a horse whisper when he seen that it was actually the old hunter who was there._

_Walking over to Tom, Allan leaned down and pulled him into a tight embrace, his hand on the back of his head as he said, _

"_Yes lad, it's me"_

_Pulling back, Allan undid the chain from around Tom's hands and feet, and helped pull the boy to his feet. Wrapping an arm around his waist, Allan helped Tom up the stairs and into the hall._

"_I'm glad you're OK, son" Allan said as he stopped and looked at Tom, a hand resting on his cheek as he spoke, his voice choked with emotion._

_Suddenly, a white light flashed in front of his eyes, and Tom was back in the basement._

Seeing Tom's face in such a picture of grief and helplessness, Charles laughed as he said,

"Don't worry boy…their not coming for you this time"

Pushing himself to his feet, Charles left the room, leaving the light on, but shutting and locking the door behind him.

Opening his eyes, Tom pushed himself up into a sitting position, his back against the wall and his knees pulled up to his chest, his arms leaning on his knees. Looking around the room Tom was immediately aware that this wasn't the same place where Charles had previously taken him.

_So that means Allan doesn't even know where to look for me_

Looking up at the door, Tom closed his eyes and said in a whisper,

"Please come Allan"

* * *

Allan had tore David's house apart trying to find something, anything, that would give him so sort of indication as to what role David had played in M's scheme, if it was to only give him the potion that harmed Tom or something more. Hearing the sound of a carriage pulling up outside, Allan walked over to Jekyll and whispered,

"Be quiet, if it's him I don't want him to know we're here"

Nodding his head, Jekyll stood back and watched as Allan walked over and stood at the door, positioning himself so that he would be behind it when David opened it and entered, allowing him to catch him unaware from behind.

Hearing the sound of the key turning in the lock, Allan waited until David was a few steps in before grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him around, only to grab him by the throat and push him up against the wall, causing the other man to gasp as the impact knocked the wind from him.

"Where is he?" Allan growled in the other man's face, his own a picture of absolute fury.

Grasping at Allan's wrist, trying to loosen the hunter's strong grasp, David spluttered out,

"Let go… and… I'll tell… you"

Loosening his grip, but only a little, Allan leaned his face closer to the other man's as he said,

"And why would I do that…it's your fault the boys missing!"

Walking over to Allan, Henry placed a hand on the hunter's shoulder and said,

"I think it would be best if you let him tell you what he knows first Allan…he's of no use to you or Tom dead"

Looking from Henry to David, Allan released his hand as he said,

"Alright"

Walking into the parlor, David walked over and poured himself a glass of water, drinking a sip to soothe his throat, and looked at Allan as he said,

"I'm sorry for what-"

"Don't even bother…just tell me where he is, I don't have time for your excuses"

Nodding his head, David set the glass back down as he said,

"Alright. He's got him in an estate that I own near the country"

Allan narrowed his eyes as he stepped closer to the other man, and said in a low and threatening voice,

"You let him take the lad somewhere you owned?"

Fumbling nervously, David shook his head as he said,

"I wasn't thinking…I didn't know what they were going to do to him…I wasn't thinking"

"You said that already mate" came the sarcastic reply of Skinner as he waltzed in the door, a smug grin on his face.

"Sorry Allan, the lad wasn't there" Skinner said in a sympathetic voice as he walked over to stand by Allan. Looking at David the whole time, Allan replied,

"I know…it seems my dear friend here was obliging enough to give M a place to keep Tom"

Shaking his head, David said,

"I'm know you hate me Allan, but you need me to show you the house…after that I'll leave"

Knowing that was true, that David was the only one who knew the destination in which Tom was being held captive, Allan said,

"I know…and you'll show me where it is" Stepping closer to David, Allan leaned his face closer to his as he said,

"And if there's one mark on the boy's body, God help me you'll be sorry I ever laid eyes on you again"

Turning around and walking to the door, Allan marched down the path and climbed back into the car, all the while thinking,

_God, don't let me lose another son_

* * *

Back in the house, Tom was staring up at the door, every so often seeing the shadow of Charles walking past the door, his body blocking the light that was floating down and casting the stairs in a shadow. Leaning his head back against the wall, Tom let out a small sigh and closed his eyes. Charles hadn't been near him at all since the first time, and even though Tom was glad, for he didn't want to go through anything like what had happened the first time, he had to admit that he was quite scared that there might be some sinister reasoning behind Charles staying away.

Hearing the sound of someone knocking on the front door, or at least Tom guessed that it was the front door; he pushed himself away from the wall and craned his neck, trying to see if he could hear anything.

Hearing another voice, a male voice, Tom felt his pulse begin to race and his breaths coming out quicker as he realized who it was at the door.

* * *

**A/N Well, well, another chapter for my lovely readers. I hope that you liked this chapter and please review and let me know what you think. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to all of those who reviewed the last chapter, again, all of your comments are greatly appreciated and really encourage me to update…as you can see, updates are more regular now, and I hope to keep it that way until the end of this story.**

**Thanks to:**

**mischieflover, .Eternal.Disaster., yaonne-san, Capitano, Sawyer Fan and LaylaBinx**

**And sadly to say, well, sadly for me because I really enjoyed writing this story, this is going to be the penultimate chapter. So I hope that you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it…and remember, the more reviews the faster that I update!**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Walking through the door, M handed Charles his coat and said,

"Where is he?", sparing no time for small talk or even reprimanding the other man for allowing Tom to be taken back by Allan and the rest of the League in the first place. All that mattered was that he was here now, somewhere were Allan and his army of freaks wouldn't be able to find him.

Hanging M's coat over the banister, Charles grinned like a cat as he said,

"In the basement, he's chained up. Don't worry; he's not going anywhere this time"

Grabbing Charles and pushing him against the door to the basement, M leaned in close as he said in a low, threatening voice,

"Not if I'm here…I leave you for two days with the boy and you can't even handle that", letting out a bark of a laugh, M narrowed his eyes as he said in a foreboding manner, "He's a _child_, how can you not look after a _child_?"

Looking down, Charles stammered out,

"It…I'm sorry, sir"

Down in the basement, Tom had leaned back against the wall when he had heard Charles body being slammed against the door, and had tried to hear what they were saying, but couldn't make any of it out. Leaning back against the wall, Tom watched the door, and his breaths came out in short gasps, although he tried to steady them, when he heard, rather than saw, the handle turn, and M came walking down the stairs, his face staring at Tom's.

"So, _Agent Sawyer_; it appears that you're not as clever as you think you are"

Refusing to look up at M, instead staring forward as the other man walked in front of him.

When Tom didn't answer, M knelt down in front of him and grabbed his jaw in his hand, squeezing hard and causing a burning sensation in Tom's jaw, which had begun to heal. Forcing Tom to look him in the eyes, M said,

"What's the matter, no cocky reply or smirk for me, boy?"

Looking at M, Tom tried to pull his face back, his jaw beginning to ache considerably, only to have M's grip tighten as he said,

"Ah, ah, ah…we can't have any of that, can we?"

Turning his head to look at Charles, his hand still holding Tom's face, M said,

"You can go…if I need you I'll call you"

Nodding his head, Charles looked at Tom one last time with a smirk on his face before turning and walking back up the stairs, closing the door behind him. Looking back at Tom, M released Tom's jaw and moved his hand to the side of Tom's face, a smirk on his face as he said,

"I heard you and your friends gave Charles some trouble while I was gone, did you boy?"

Again Tom refused to answer, turning his eyes away from M. Grabbing Tom's face with his other hand, M leaned his own face close to Tom's as he hissed,

"You better start talking boy, or else this might not be a very pleasant evening for you"

Furrowing his brow, Tom said,

"They'll come…and this time they will kill you…they did it last time"

Laughing, M let go of Tom's face and said,

"Yes, they may come…but the only thing they'll find is your body hanging…or maybe covered in blood and cold on the floor…I haven't quite decided yet"

Grabbing Tom by the shirt, he pulled him to his feet and slammed his smaller frame into the wall, Tom's hands grabbing onto his wrists at the impact, his back and head burning. His face a picture of fury, M spat out,

"I told you before no child was going to ruin my work and get away with it…and you _will_ pay for what you did"

Letting Tom out of his grasp, M stepped back and walked over to the table in the corner of the room, and picked up a small syringe and a bottle. Looking at Tom, he said,

"You ruined what I worked on for years…longer than you've been alive"

Filling the syringe with some of the liquid from the bottle, M set it back down on the table before walking back over to Tom and standing in front of him.

"And you took that away!" He screamed as he lifted his hand back and landed a blow to Tom's face, sending him to his knees. Grabbing his hair in his hand, earning a cry from Tom, M said, "You weren't even supposed to be there"

Kicking Tom in the stomach and sending him to the floor, M landed a few more punches and kicks, Tom lying on the ground and panting for breath, feeling an odd burning sensation in his ribs, having a feeling that some of them were broke. Walking back over to the table, M grabbed the syringe in his hand and knelt beside Tom, grabbing his around the chest and holding his arm out.

"Charles, get down here!" He screamed at the top of his voice, holding a struggling Tom Sawyer in his grasp as the younger man fought to break out of his hold. Running down the stairs, Charles knew what he was to do and ran over beside M and their captive, grabbing Tom's wrist and holding his arm out straight as M plunged the needle into his vein, feeling and watching as the drug took affect.

Tom felt his vision growing blurred and his muscles going weaker, his body going limp in M's grasp as he fought to keep his eyes open.

Leaning down to Tom's ear, his hand on one side of the boy's face as he spoke, M said in a low voice,

"You'll regret the day you ever joined that League"

* * *

Sitting in the car, Allan looked at David, knowing that he had nowhere to run, to dodge the questions, and so he asked,

"Why did you do it David, he's just a lad"

Looking at Allan with a look of shame and guilt in his eyes and on his face, David said quietly,

"I know he is…and that's why I came to tell you where he was"

Sitting in the seat beside Allan, Mina turned her blue eyes on David as she said,

"Yes, and what happens if that's too little too late for Agent Sawyer?"

Looking at his hands in his lap, David raised his eyes to meet Mina's as he said,

"I should hope that it won't come to that"

Turning his face to David, Allan barked out,

"For the boy's sake or your own?"

Looking at Allan again, his gaze moving from Mina's eyes to the hunters, David said in a soft voice,

"For the boy's…what I did was wrong, I know that, but all I can do is try and help you get your friend back"

Looking at David for a moment, letting his words sink in, Allan's own voice was a lot quieter when he spoke this time, the tone sad and despondent as he looked forward and said,

"He's not just a friend David…he's like a son to me"

Looking at Allan, David offered a sympathetic look. He knew how hard it had been for Allan after Harry had died. Losing another son, even if he wasn't Allan's biological son, would destroy him, and David knew that.

* * *

Tom's battle to stay conscience was lost as his eyes rolled back and his body went limp in M's grasp. Looking at the seemingly lifeless body in his grasp, M sneered as he looked up at Charles and said,

"Is everything ready?"

Standing up and walking over to a table that was hidden in the corner, a dusty cloth flung over it to conceal the contents of what was on top of the table, Charles said,

"Yes sir, everything is just as you asked"

Nodding his head, M let Tom's body fall from his grasp and to the floor, Tom lying on his back and his head angled to the side, his hair falling in front of his eyes. Standing up, M walked over to the table and lifted the cloth off, picking up a small knife. Looking at Charles, he said,

"If I need you again I'll call you…until then just get the boy ready and then keep watch for anyone"

Nodding his head Charles did as he was asked before walking back up the stairs and closing the door behind him again.

Walking over to the table that Charles had set Tom on, his shirt ripped open at the front and his wrist bound by thick rope, stopping him from moving when he regained consciousness. Looking down at Tom's face, M smirked as he drew the blade across Tom's abdomen, drawing a thin line of blood. Laughing quietly at the wince of pain that crossed over Tom's face as the blade sliced his skin, M leaned closer to the boy's face and said,

"You thought that last time was hard child?"

* * *

_Tom was lying on the table, his hands bound with thick rope to stall his movements, keeping in locked in the room. M, who had been torturing him steadily for the past half hour, laughed evilly as he made his way up the stairs._

_Staring up at the ceiling, Tom trapped to pull free from the rope, stopping when he heard the sound of footsteps above him, loud and heavy. Turning his head so that he could look at the door, Tom watched as people moved in front of the door, their shadows casting the wooden stairs in darkness._

_Hearing shouting, Tom tried to make out what the people upstairs where saying, but couldn't, all of their words overlapping each other and making whatever it was they were saying difficult to distinguish. _

_A loud bang resounded, and Tom immediately knew that it was a gun shot, and prayed that it was M and Charles rather than the other people in the house who had been shot. Still looking at the door, Tom lifted his head up, a relieved smile on his face when he saw that it was Allan, the hunter running down the stairs and over to him. Untying the rope from Tom's wrists, Allan helped Tom to stand and looked at him as he said, _

"_I'm glad you're alright lad"_

_Tom opened his mouth to reply, to tell Allan how much he had missed him, how sorry he was for everything that had happened, but stopped when a bright light flashed in front of his face._

* * *

It was a ten minutes later, and M had already made over a dozen deep lacerations across Tom's chest and abdomen, a small film of sweat on his brow and his breath increasing as he slowly began to regain consciousness, his entire body feeling as thought it were on fire.

M, who had been over at the small table in the corner of the room, looking for his next instrument of torture, looked back at Tom when he heard a small moan derive from his mouth as he tried to move his body, the gashes twisting and burning with his movements. Walking over to Tom, M grabbed his face with one hand and forced him to look at him as he said,

"Dreaming again, _boy_?"

Opening his eyes, Tom felt his heart sink as he realized that it was just another dream, another vivid dream, that he had dreamt, and that he was still trapped in the basement with M. Biting on his lip as he felt tears well in his eyes, Tom looked away from M's eerie gaze, not being able to stand looking at the other man anymore.

Laughing, M moved his hand to the stop between Tom's jaw and neck, and grabbed him as he said in a patronizing tone,

"What's the matter…you're famous hunter and his league of morons not coming to get you?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Tom ignored M's comment, and said in a quiet voice, his eyes lifting to look into the other mans, which where cold and hard,

"Why are you doing this?"

Letting go of Tom's neck, M stepped back over to the table, his back to Tom as he said,

"Because I can"

Picking up a small vial, M filled a syringe with it's contents, an orange brown color, and walked back over to Tom, leaning over him as he said,

"And because you just couldn't leave well enough alone…you were nothing to do with the League" M twisted Tom's arm around so that the crook of his elbow was facing up, the blue veins standing up as Tom's felt a heat run through his body, "you should have left when I killed your friend…save me the bother of having to kill you"

Pinning Tom's arm down with one hand, M lifted his other hand and plunged the needle into Tom's arm, injecting the liquid into his blood stream. Tom tried to lift his head, his vision blurring, but couldn't. And when he tried to move his hands or his legs, the pain in his body increasing, he realized that he couldn't do that either.

Turning his eyes to M, the other mans body just a blurred outline as he moved slightly, although Tom could no longer make out what he was doing, Tom said,

"What did ya jus' do?" his words slightly slurred together as he fought to focus.

Looking at Tom, M placed a condescending hand on top of his head, and said,

"Don't worry…you'll stay awake, you won't be able to move…but you'll be able to see, not very clearly, and _feel_ everything"

Up in the parlor of the small house, Charles was pacing around in the front room, every so often walking over to the window to check if anyone was coming. He was afraid that maybe David wasn't going to keep up his end of the bargain, that he was going to run and tell Quartermain where Tom was and the League where going to kill him and M. Looking at the door to the basement, Charles muttered to himself,

"I wish he would just kill the brat already"

Flopping down into a chair, Charles poured himself a drink and raised it to his lips, taking a sip. Setting it back down, his head shot round at the sound of the anguished scream coming from the basement, and a bitter smile crept onto his face.

Back down in the basement, Tom panted as he tried to catch his breath, blood pouring from his chest and arms where M had ruthlessly sunk his knife into. Tears ran down his face and into his hair, but he didn't try to stop them, concentrating on stopping the pain that was surging through his body. He reacted to every touch more than normal, causing more pain that he had ever felt in his life.

Looking at Tom, M grabbed his hair in his hand, and leaned his face close to his as he said,

"Scream all you want boy…because nobody can hear you out here…and your friends aren't coming"

Picking up the knife again, M dragged it across Tom's chest, watching as the blood ran down and got grabbed by the fabric of his shirt.

* * *

"Are we nearly there?" Allan asked as he leaned forward to look out the window before leaning back and looking at David.

Looking out the window, David calculated quickly how far away there were, roughly, from his house, and looked at Allan as he said,

"It shouldn't be long Allan"

Leaning back against his seat, Allan said,

"Good…because the lad doesn't have time"

* * *

**A/N Well, I hope that you liked this chapter…and please let me know what you think, because I want to make the last chapter as great as I can and your comments can really help. So please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Wow. I can't believe that I'm actually writing the last chapter of my first "LXG" story already. I had a great time writing it and I hope that everyone had a great time reading it. I want to say a great big "Thank You!" to everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far, you all really kept me going with this, even if my updates where sometimes far from each other, you all stuck with me.**

**Well, enough of me, and on with the final chapter of "Affliction"**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Sitting in the back of the car, Allan watched the country road as they passed it, counting down the minutes until they would make it to Tom, and he would be able to save him from whatever it was that M was doing. He had been trying to focus his mind on anything but what M was doing to Tom, knowing that he would probably break David's neck for what he had done, and letting Tom get taken again.Running his hand over his beard, Allan let out a sigh of frustration, the seconds and minutes feeling like hours in the car.

Looking over at Allan, a man who he wasn't so sure he could call a friend anymore, not after the way he had betrayed him, David said in a gentle voice,

"He'll be O.K Allan…he's a fighter, like you"

Turning his attention from the road to David, Allan looked at the other man with a small smile as he said,

"I hope you're right David"

* * *

"_Scream all you want boy…because nobody can hear you out here…and your friends aren't coming"_

Tom let his head fall back against the table as M walked away from him and over to the other side of the room. Looking up at the ceiling, a large crack running through it, the area around it dark with dampness, Tom tried to focus on it instead of the searing pain in his chest and abdomen where M had been ruthless with his knife. Turning his head to look at M, who had his back to him; Tom felt small beads of perspiration run down his face, his body feeling like it was on fire. He didn't know if it was to do with his injuries or the drugs that M had given to him, but he knew that it wasn't right and he prayed that someone would get there soon.

Looking back to the ceiling, Tom let out a small sigh, knowing that Allan and the other's probably wouldn't find him and that M was right…no one was coming for him. _Why should they, you've let them done that many times before?_

Setting his knife back down on the small table in the far end of the room, M turned on his heel and walked over to the table that Tom was strapped to, and leaned so that he was looking down over him, his face directly above the young agents. Putting his hand on the side of Tom's face, forcing him to look at him, M said with a smirk,

"Do you know how many years that it took me to complete the work that you destroyed?"

Running his hand over his chin, M let out a small laugh as he said,

"Five years…and it took you a mere number of days to destroy it"

Pushing away from the table, M walked to the top end of the table, where Tom's head was, stopping the younger man from seeing him, and said with a trace of a laugh in his voice,

"I'll make sure to end your life quicker"

* * *

Back in the car, Allan let out a small sigh of relief when they turned another corner on the winding road, and up ahead David's house came into view. Pushing himself forward in his seat, getting himself ready to jump out of the car as soon as it stopped, Allan looked at David as he said in a stern voice,

"You stay here…if we need you we'll call"

Putting his hand on Allan's arm, stopping his motions as he turned to look at the other man, David swallowed down the lump of guilt in his throat and said,

"He'll be fine Allan…with you looking out for him, he'll be fine"

Looking down at David's hand, Allan let a sad smile grace his features before looking him in the eyes and saying,

"He's a strong lad"

Patting Allan's arm, David settled back in his seat and watched as Allan made his way down the path, Henry a few steps behind.

* * *

Down in the basement, Tom's breathes were coming out as short, sharp gasps as he tried to stem the pain that was flowing through his entire body. He felt as if he was lying on a block of ice, even though beads of sweat formed along his brow, and his eyes were heavy, trying to pull him back to the state of unconsciousness.

Picking up a large dagger, M walked over to Tom, and glared down at him as he said,

"I've wasted enough time on you…time that could be spent on something else"

Turning the dagger over in his hands, M barked out a laugh as he slammed it down on the table beside Tom's head, causing him to flinch. Grabbing Tom's shirt in his hands, M pulled him up, earning a pained cry from Tom as he did so, and hissed at him,

"Your time of causing trouble is over, _boy_"

Slamming his boy back onto the table, M grabbed the dagger and lifted his had back, brining it down and plunging it into Tom's abdomen. Throwing the dagger on the ground, M turned on his heel, leaving Tom gasping on the table as he ascended the stairs and left the basement, shutting the door behind him.

Pushing his hand to the stab wound, and applying as much pressure as he could in his current state, Tom tried to push himself up, but couldn't, the pain too much. Lying back, Tom felt his body shaking, going into shock, but couldn't force himself to move.

As he felt his body growing weaker, the blood gushing out and getting absorbed into the fibers of his shirt, he heard a loud crash noise coming from upstairs.

* * *

Walking down the path, Allan had Matilda, his rifle, held tightly and securely in his right hand. Reaching the door, Allan lifted his boot and slammed it into the door full force, causing it to swing open.

"What the hell?" came the shout of Charles as he jumped up from his seat on the sofa in the parlor area of the house. Spinning around, he shouted,

"James!"

Rushing over, Allan grabbed Charles by the front of the shirt and slammed him into the wall, shouting out at him,

"If there's one mark on the boy…you'll be sorry"

Laughing, Charles, looked up at Allan as he said,

"He's dead…I don't think it'll matter much"

Slamming Charles into the wall, Allan was about to retort back, but was cut off when M came walking up the hall, a cocky grin on his face as he said,

"That's another son that you've killed Quartermain…I think maybe you've got a natural talent for killing stupid children with a want to follow in your footsteps"

Taking a deep breath, Allan let go of Charles, and walked over to M, his gun gripped firmly in his hands and rose so that it was level with M's chest, the other man not flinching.

"Where is he?"

Henry, who had been standing by the whole time, noticed that M was standing directly in front of a door that led to the basement, and guessed that was an obvious place for them to be keeping Tom. Walking over to Allan, Henry touched him lightly on the shoulder and said in a quiet whisper so that only Allan could hear,

"The basement"

Nodding his head slightly, Allan cocked his gun back, watching M and Charles at the same time, the latter still visible in his peripheral vision. With a scowl on his face, his brow furrowed, Allan said,

"Well, I'll make sure you never have to live to see another, _James_"

Before M had a chance to respond, Allan's finger squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet from the barrel of the gun and into M's chest, causing him to drop to the floor in a lifeless heap, his eyes opened, yet unseeing to the world around him.

Spinning round, Allan grabbed Charles by the front of the shirt and said to Henry,

"Get David in here and tell him to watch him", indicating to Charles with a nod of his head before continuing, "I'll go and get Tom"

"Certainly" Was Henry's quick response as he went out to the car to fetch David and returned, allowing Allan to go down to the basement.

Pushing the door open, Allan flicked on the light and rushed down the stairs, dropping his gun when he saw Sawyer lying on the table and covered in blood, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his lungs tried to take in the air that they needed.

"Lad, can you here me?" Allan asked in a worried voice as he gently lifted Tom's upper body off the table and cradled him close to him, one hand on the side of Tom's face, his thumb running back and forth over his cheek.

Opening his eyes slightly, Tom felt his body shaking all over, and also the feeling of someone holding him. Letting out a small groan, Tom realized that it was Allan who was holding him, keeping him safe.

"Allan" He said in a pained voice, his hand reaching up to grab Allan's arm.

Cupping Tom's face in his hand, Allan looked him straight in the eyes, which were glassy and unfocused, as he said,

"Yes son, it's me…I've got you"

Rushing down the stairs Henry ran over to the table, and felt shocked wash over him at what he saw. Lifting Tom's hand from the wound on his side, a hiss of pain emitting from the youngest mouth at the action, Henry said in a tone of urgency,

"He's already lost a lot of blood…we need to get him out of here Allan"

Nodding his head in response, Allan wasted no time in lifting Tom off the table, even as a pained cry ripped from Tom's throat, his fingers gripping onto Allan's shoulder.

"Sorry lad" Allan said as he clambered up the stairs, Jekyll close behind. Walking out the door, Allan noticed that David and Charles where gone, he didn't know where to, and he didn't really care at that moment. All he cared about was getting Tom to safety.

* * *

Opening the door to the carriage, Henry waited until Allan was in and sitting before climbing in behind him and closing the door, ordering the driver to go back to the Nautilus as fast as possible.

"Allan" Tom chocked out between heaving breaths as Allan held him close to him, his hand on the side of his face as he ran his thumb back and forth over his cheek.

"It's O.K Tom…you're O.K" Henry said as he looked at the wound, using a piece of cloth from his medical bag to try and stem the blood flow, trying to stay as steady as he could with the swaying of the carriage.

"How is he?" Allan asked as he kept a tight hold on Tom, the boy in his arms clutching at his shirt at the pain that was ripping through his body.

Looking up at Allan, Henry said in a calm, steady voice, although he didn't feel that way, holding the life of their youngest in his hands,

"We need to get him back on board as soon as possible"

Looking at Tom's face, a film of sweat on his brow, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead and his hazy eyes, Allan pulled him closer to him, feeling a lump in his throat at the thought that he might lose another son.

"Cold…"Tom said as he fought to keep his eyes open, his head lolling to the side and against Allan's shoulder.

Touching his hand to Tom's face, Henry said in a stern voice,

"Tom, you have to stay awake…you hear me, you can't fall asleep"

Trying hard to keep his eyes open, Tom shifted in Allan's embrace, the stab wound on his stab burning, causing his eyes to water, and a moan escape his lips.

"That's it Tom…stay awake…not too long now" Allan said in a gentle voice as he looked at Tom and then to Henry, the look of worry and concern that was on his own face mirrored in the doctors.

* * *

"I need more water and towels!" Henry yelled out as he worked on stopping the blood flow on the wound in Tom's side. They had returned to the Nautilus a few minutes prior, much to the shock of the others upon seeing the condition that Tom was in. Tom had been brought to the infirmary immediately, and Henry had been trying to stop Tom losing any more blood ever since.

He guessed, from what he had seen, that Tom had already lost approximately five litres of blood, and that if he didn't stop it soon Tom's condition would worsen even further and his chance of surviving, let alone recovering, where going to greatly decrease.

Allan was standing close by the bed, his hand gripping onto Tom's, the other stroking his warm forehead as Henry continued to stop the bleeding.

After a few tense minutes, and a few cries of pain from Tom, Henry ran a hand over the back of his neck, which was covered in sweat, and said,

"I've managed to stop the bleeding…but I still need to clean it and stitch it shut to ensure that it doesn't get infected"

Sitting down on the chair beside Tom, his hand still holding onto his surrogate son's, Allan smiled at him as he said,

"Good lad Tom…you're doing great"

Turning his head to look at Allan, although the action was slow, his body feeling like it was made out of lead and that he was going to sink through the bed, Tom gave the hunter a small smile, his slim fingers tightening their hold on Allan's hand slightly.

"You certainly did Tom" Henry said as he cleaned the area with alcohol, preparing it to be sutured before he would begin to assess the rest of Tom's injuries.

Looking at Henry, and then to Tom, whose eyes where fighting to stay awake, his lids falling shut, Allan leaned closer to him and said in a soft voice,

"It's OK son, we've got you now"

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Allan watched as Tom gave in, and his eyes fell shut, and he was asleep, his mind taking him away from all of the pain that he was feeling and allowing him to have a short reprieve.

* * *

It was a few hours later and Tom was still asleep, Allan sitting in the chair beside his bed. Henry was in the next room, allowing Tom and Allan some privacy, but also making sure that he could keep an eye on Tom and would be there in an instant if he needed anything.

Turning his head when he heard the sound of footsteps on the tiled floored, Allan offered a small smile to Mina Harker, who returned it as she made her way over to the bed. Touching the back of her hand gently to Tom's cheek, she said in a quiet voice,

"He's a fighter…to pull through such things as he has"

Nodding his head in response, his eyes never leaving Tom's face, Allan said in a soft voice, laced with fatherly pride for the agent he had come to consider a son to him,

"That he is"

Tom stirred slightly in his sleep, turning over onto his side, his blonde bangs falling in front of his eyes as he did so. Looking at Allan, Mina added,

"You should be proud"

Sitting down in the vacant chair beside Allan, Mina started,

"I tested the drugs which you retrieved from the basement"

Turning in his seat so that he could look at Mina, his hand still holding onto Tom's, not wanting to break all contact, but wanting to give Mina his full attention, Allan asked,

"And what did you find?"

Looking over at Tom briefly, Mina looked back to Allan before saying,

"Thankfully whatever it was young Sawyer was given won't have any long term affects. It was mainly used to weaken him…make it easier for them to hurt him"

Looking back at Tom as he shifted slightly on the bed, Allan rested his hands on his head, brushing some of his hair from his eyes, and said,

"They didn't know that he had so many people that cared for him…that was their downfall"

Smiling, Mina added, quoting Tom,

"Yes, it appears Tom was right…bringing us together may have been the worst move they made after all"

* * *

It was a few hours later and Tom was finally awake. He was still lying down in bed, his injuries too sore to do otherwise, and Skinner was now occupying the seat which Allan had been. Just before Tom had woke up, Henry had told Allan that he should get some rest and that he would get him as soon as Tom was up again. After a few minutes of arguing that he wasn't going to go, that he should stay by Tom's beside, Allan gave in, saying to get him as soon as Tom was awake.

Of course Henry had agreed to this, knowing that it was the only way to get Allan to go, but even so, he would wait until he had checked Tom over first before getting Allan. And that was exactly what he had done, leaving Tom in the company of Skinner, the invisible man having taken up residence in Allan's seat.

"So Kid, how ya feelin?" Skinner asked as he leaned forward to cup his chin in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

Looking at Skinner, Tom offered him a small smile as he said,

"Um, fine Skinner, thanks"

But before Skinner even had a chance to ask another question, the booming voice of Allan was heard as he marched through the door to the infirmary,

"Son, you're up! How do you feel lad?"

Rushing over to Tom's side, Allan rested his hand on Tom's cheek and smiled down at him as he waited for an answer.

"I'm fine…jus'a little sore" Tom replied truthfully, knowing that Allan wouldn't believe that he felt alright after all he had been through.

"He'll be chasin' skirts in no time…ain't that right old boy" Skinner said as he nudged Allan in the ribs with his elbow, earning a glare from the hunter and a small laugh from Tom.

"Shut up, you fool" Allan said as he watched the floating hat and coat leave the room, Skinner saying something back, but he was unable to hear what it was. He had no doubt in his mind that it was something crude or vulgar if Rodney was concerned, and guessed he was probably better off not knowing. Sitting down on the bed beside Tom, his hand still cupping his cheek, Allan said in a gentle voice, a sad smile on his face,

"Gave this old man quite a scare seeing you like that"

Looking down at his hands in his lap, Tom bit his lip as he said in a soft voice, almost a whisper,

"I'm sorry Allan"

Running his thumb over Tom's cheek before moving his hand so that he was cupping the young man's chin, tilting his face up to look at him, Allan said,

"Don't be sorry…I'm just glad that you're alright Tom"

Tom felt tears welling up in his eyes, and bowed his head so that Allan couldn't see, but Allan be Allan, knew that something was wrong with the agent, and again, he lifted Tom's face to look at him. Only this time, Tom turned his head so that he was looking out the window, and said in a low voice, choked with emotion,

"I didn't think ya were comin' Allan…I thought he was gonna kill me"

Not saying anything, Allan pulled Tom to him in a hug, Tom burying his face in Allan's chest, his arms wrapped around him as Allan held onto him, one hand resting on his back, the other on his head, rocking him slightly as he said,

"Of course we were coming Tom…everyone here loves you and would do anything to make sure you were alright"

Turning his head so that his cheek was pressed against Allan's chest, his eyes still closed as tears ran down his face, Tom sobbed out,

"He said… you wouldn't…come"

Hugging Tom tighter to him, Allan ran his hand over Tom's back in circles, and moved his hand from his head to his cheek, his thumb running back and forth and catching salty tears as they fell.

"Shh, it's alright…you're alright now" Allan murmured over and over again until Tom's tears stopped, although he was still clinging onto Allan, his hand grabbing at the hunters waist coat, afraid that this was all a dream, just like the many that he had dreamt before of Allan coming to save him.

"I've got you son" Allan said in a soft voice as he placed a fatherly kiss on Tom's forehead, feeling Tom's breathing steadying out as he fell asleep in the arms of his father.

* * *

It was a few weeks since Tom had been kidnapped by Tom, and the League and Tom himself were slowly getting back to normal. It had been hard for Tom at first, himself not believing that he should be in the League anymore if all he was going to do was put them all in danger, saying that he should just go back to the American Secret Service. Of course all of this was stopped when Allan had sat down and talked to him one night, telling him how much the League did in fact need him, and how much he himself needed him there. Since then Tom hadn't once thought about leaving, knowing that he would never find friends like the one's that he had now.

Sitting in the dining room, Tom was slouched in his chair, waiting for Allan to come to the dining room. He had told them all that he had some news that was of great importance, and that they all had to gather immediately.

"Don't see why this can't wait till mornin' anways…it's three in the mornin for Gods sake!" Tom said with a tired yawn as he leaned further down into his chair, trying to stay awake.

"I know. I wonder what is so important that we must know now." Mina added with a curious eyebrow, watching the door for the entrance of Allan.

As if on cue, Allan pushed the large doors opened and walked over to the table and took his seat beside Tom, patting him on the shoulder and saying in a fatherly tone,

"Sit up lad; we have business to talk about"

This instantly perked Tom's interest, and he sat up in his chair, a grin on his face as he looked at Allan and said,

"Really, what sort of business?"

Laughing a little, Allan set a pile on papers that he had carried in with in on the table in front of him, and looked at the group as he said,

"Well, I've been in contact with your boss, Mr. Wilkinson, and it seems that we have some business to attend to in America"

Looking at Allan with a raised eyebrow, Tom asked,

"What sort of business?"

Grinning, Allan looked at the League and then Tom as he said,

"I take it you've heard of the seven deadly sins, boy"

_Fin_

* * *

**Wow! I can't believe that was it…but don't worry, I have a sequel to this, so this isn't the last you've seen of me!**

**I hope that you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and please review and let me know what you thought.**


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